On Saturday, April 6, renowned pianist Michelle Cann wrapped up her Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra debut with her final performance of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto. Perhaps only overshadowed in popularity by that of Tchaikovsky’s protege, Rachmaninoff, with his second piano concerto, the piece in question is known by many. It is this worldwide admiration that made the piece all the more challenging to execute, as audience members approach it with an assortment of unique expectations.
Certainly, however, no one was expecting the major mishap of the evening, a single key in the lower register of the piano being out of tune. At first it was barely noticeable, until the music suddenly stopped and Cann turned to conductor Su-Han Yang to notify him of the issue, before walking off stage. Murmuring ensued amidst the masses as confusion fell upon the crowd until eventually, the pianist reemerged from off the stage, apologizing and highlighting a technical issue with the piano. She then started the piece over again, but the same peculiar note was never remedied, and parts of the song were left sounding like they were played by a piano from an old saloon.
Nonetheless she played with passion. Sitting in the fifth row, I could hear her feet stomp down upon the ground, crashing like waves as her head swayed like the sea. Her focus was undeterred amidst the abnormality of the out-of-tune key, leaving it but a small cavity amidst pristine and perfect teeth, and her playing proved angelic even with the unintentional atonality. Such left the audience amazed as, rising from their seats, she was given three standing ovations. One could hear shouts of “bravo” above the crowd’s clapping, as Cann stood triumphant upon the stage.
Yet, what followed was another surprise, as the powerful pianist returned for an encore. Sitting down within the crowd’s anticipatory silence, she began to play the chilling opening chords of Rachmaninoff’s prelude in C-Sharp Minor. She then hastened these chords, beginning an improvised ragtime melody upon the romanticist piece.
It was a brilliant display of creativity which sought to poke fun at the piano for even thinking to test her abilities, as she utilized its defects to make truly magnificent music. In putting on such a resilient and resourceful display of dynamic prowess, Michelle Cann showed the world what it’s like to be one of its few female African American piano soloists and educators, marking herself as an exemplary artist of Romanticism’s tenets of individuality and the indomitable human spirit. In short, she was exceptional.
Caiden Cawthon is a legally blind writer who seeks to shine a light on that not readily seen and can be found on Instagram at @caidencawthon. For more news from Caiden courtesy of the Indianapolis Recorder, visit our homepage here.
Caiden Cawthon is a legally blind writer who seeks to shine a light on that not readily seen, and can be found on Instagram at @caidencawthon.
