Midtown is alive with the sound of music

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A stone's throw from Carnegie Hall, and just off the lobby of the Le Parker Meridien hotel in New York you'll find Klavierhaus Recital Hall, a recording studio and concert space.

The Recital Hall is actually affiliated with Klavierhaus Corporation, which maintains an amazing collection of antique, hand-crafted and restored concert pianos - including famous names like Hamburg, Steinway, and Fazioli.  Some of the Klavierhaus collection is now at Carnegie Hall, in Lincoln Center, and even at the White House - but you can see their full inventory here.

The Recital Hall itself isn't flashy from the outside - if you didn't know it was there, you'd easily walk past it.  But it seats about 70 people and its unique design, from the caramel-coloured floorboards to the minimalist decor, ensures that sound fills the entire space.

I was fortunate to come to the Recital Hall yesterday to marvel at the talents of my colleague Peter, his wife Hilda, and their friend Tim, who played a free concert arranged for clarinet, piano, and cello.  The carefully-curated concert was an excellent opportunity for all three instruments - and all three musicians - to shine.

When I asked him afterwards, Peter indicated he most enjoyed playing the first work - by Jeanne-Louise Farrenc.  In fact, Farrenc was the only composer on the program whose name was unfamiliar to me.  Born in France in 1804, Farrenc came from a family of sculptors, and while she was a prolific composer during her lifetime, she did not compose for opera - which was definitely the popular thing to do (certainly if you wanted to make any money).  As a result, Farrenc has enjoyed posthumous fame for her instrumental compositions and chamber music.  I sat in the front row for the concert, so I didn't take any photos - but if you are curious about Ferranc's work, and the piece that Peter particularly enjoyed playing, click here for a video of Canada's Amici Chamber Ensemble playing it.  You will see what I mean about it being a beautiful piece to showcase all three instruments.

After Farrenc, Peter took a break from his clarinet duties so Hilda and Tim could play a four-minute piece by Sergei Rachmaninoff.  Being more familiar with the Russian composer's work, I was expecting Hilda's fingers to go flying off the keys, but Romance in D major, Op4 No3 was, for the most part, a dream-like, relaxed piece and a great duet.

To close the program, Peter took the stage again and the trio collaborated on a Mikhail Glinka pice called Trio Pathetique in D Minor.  Glinka is perhaps most famous for being the first Russian composer to gain wide notoriety in his own country.  This particular piece is most often played by clarinet, piano, and bassoon - but of course I only know this after having poked around the internet a bit.  During the concert yesterday, the cello seemed like the perfect instrument to join in; they all fit together seamlessly.  And in THIS piece, I reckon Hilda played all 88 keys on that piano - her fingers were literally dancing across the keyboard; it was really great.

I suspect that little Recital Halls like the Klavierhaus are dotted all around New York, but my enjoyment of them is always maximised when I can celebrate the talents of people I know up there on stage.  Encore!