The Garrick Ohlsson Ending

I was sitting in Ravinia with my Mom and Dad.  The place was packed and the grounds outside were loaded with people with picnics waiting to hear the concert over the loudspeakers.  I had never been to Ravinia before and everything from the rows of seats to the lonely piano on stage left me breathless with expectation.

There was another reason I was excited too.  He was going to play my piece. MY piece.  It would take three years of practice and dedication but I had just been told that my Senior Recital sonata would be none other than Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata - the complete version.  Oh yeah.

And how perfect it all seemed.  The very week we were in Chicago Garrick Ohlsson was to continue his astounding summer long series of the complete Beethoven Sonatas by performing Moonlight Sonata. He also played two other sonatas, whichever they were.

I imagine he played very well.  But honestly, I don't remember.  What I remember was the encore - and it will always stay with me.

The audience had thoroughly enjoyed Ohlsson's performance and gave him several standing ovations.  After which, he sat back down at the piano and began to play this simple, delicate melody - Claire de Lune.  We were all spellbound.  It was like he had magnetized us to his every movement.

We watched, mouths a gape, until the very end.  And then he played slowly, ever so slowly, the last few notes, and then he held.  And held.  He didn't move from his place even one muscle.  The sound of his music passed over us like a veil and then quivered and then died, slowly, ever so slowly.  And still he didn't move until the silence itself had become his music.  And then all at once he released and the audience went wild.  From that moment we loved Garrick Ohlsson.

Garrick Ohlsson Courtesy of Mariversa

Later that school year I had the privilege of performing a rather unknown work by Khatchuturian at an Honors Recital.  The piece had an ending not unlike to Claire de Lune.  Since it was an Honors Recital, everyone had come to perform all guns blazing.  All the pieces before me were fast, flashly and difficult.  But then I sat down and played my very simple piece the Garrick Ohlsson way.  They all agreed my performance stole the show.

What trick do you like to use when ending a piece?  Has another pianist's performance ever changed the way you think about performance?

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Clair de lune (from Suite Bergamasque) By Claude Debussy (1862-1918). Edited by Willard A. Palmer. SMP Level 9 (Advanced). Book. 8 pages. Published by Alfred Music Publishing (AP.2160) (3) ...more info