The piano is one of my favorite instruments in the whole
entire world. When I hear the piano, the
music grabs at my heartstrings and tugs them in a way that doesn't make me sad,
but inspired.
I started playing piano when I was 10. If it were up to me, I'm sure I would have
started sooner, but my parents decided that, after having to fight with my sister
to practice, they never wanted to do that again. So, they made me wait, and at the magical age
of 10, the 'rents decided I was mature enough to make my own decision, and I
began with piano lessons.
I started with the books made for 5 year olds, and quickly
progressed into the Royal Conservatory grades. Within a couple years into my piano training, I had finally caught up with
the kids my age. I continued with
lessons until the end of high school and I loved every single second of
it. I remember hugging my piano teacher,
Sara, on the last day and both of us crying .
We shared a love for music and it was heart breaking to hit the end of
our road together.
At the time, I thought it was the end of my musical road,
period. I was entering university, I had
just started dancing with Volya, which
demanded at least 2 full evenings a week,
and furthermore, I was moving into a condo and I had no piano. It made no sense for me to continue with lessons, so I settled for playing as often as I could when I was home, but as time went
on, my playing dwindled, and eventually, I stopped entirely.
It wasn't until I moved to the Netherlands in 2011 that I
dusted off those old piano memories and began playing again. It all started with the movie Intouchables. It's a French movie
about a quadriplegic and the development of his friendship with his aid
worker. After spending years working
with people in wheelchairs, I could appreciate the humor and the story warmed
my heart. But what grabbed my attention
instantly was the music.
In the first scene, we are introduced to the two main
characters as they're speeding through Paris in a car. But, there are no sound effects. There is no one chasing them. The car does not crash. And there is no explosion. Instead, it's piano music. Just a lone piano, its notes chipping away to
expose raw emotion.
After watching the movie, I had to figure out
who wrote the music. I needed to hear
that opening song again and again-- it was an insatiable craving. Eventually, I found my answer: Ludovico
Einaudi. Along with that though, I had
discovered a musical genius with an entire repertoire songs to learn on the piano!
My love for Ludovico's music has not diminished over the years. I have learned a number of his songs, and have been stalking his tour dates ever since we moved to the Netherlands. Seeing him live was promptly added to The Bucket List and I was determined to make it happen. Needless to say, when I realized I had missed his tour announcement over the Christmas holidays, I was completely heartbroken that I had missed my opportunity. I checked Marktplaats (Kijiji) for weeks, hoping to find tickets that someone was trying to get rid of, but had no luck and only seemed to be drawn to scams.
Well, my dream has come true: I am going to see Ludovico Einaudi LIVE. Somehow, Sander managed to get a set of tickets, and he surprised me, giving them to me for my birthday!! I'm still in shock a week later and grinning like an idiot.
The song from the first scene of Intouchables.
