On Friday March the 6th, I attended one of several "performances" given
during the first fortnight of March in the "Auditorium" of the Louvre
Museum to present and remember great pianists in the past.

On this special day, several old movies were projected, showing great
pianists in concert, such as Paderewski playing the Liszt Hungarian
Rhapsody No 2, in the 1936 English movie "moonlight Sonata". Incredible
presence and enthusiasm, even if the original score did not seem to be
strictly followed by the celebrated pianist ...

Other very short and rather technically bad but really emotionally moving
movies showed some great pianists (Vladimir de Pachman, Francis Plante,
etc.) recording for rolls or records. Vladimir de Pachman plays for a
roll which is brought to him just after, so that he can sign it ... Too
beautiful to be true.

Douglas Heffer, who is the leading restorer of pneumatic pianos in
France, and has a huge collection of classical piano rolls, had brought
in the concert room two "push-up", which played successively on the same
Steinway grand :

    The Hupfeld Dea played Liszt' La Leggierezza, by L. Godowsky,
    Goddard'Valse Chromatique by L. Diemer, and D. Scarlatti's A major
    Sonata, by Raoul Pugno.

The Duo-Art Push-up (a special device made by Douglas Heffer) played
Arensky's Waltz for 2 pianos, by H. Bauer and G. Gabrilowitsch, and
Wagner/Brassin's Feuerzauber by I. Friedman.  The playing by these
machines was excellent, although lacking the incredible "fire" of
Paderewski's performance in the above mentionned movie.

As usual in his concerts, Douglas Heffer uses several video machines
which shows to the audience (about 600 people) on a giant screen the
paper roll as it moves (and the music by the same way !), and the
working of the the piano mechanical devices.

Needless to say that the public - although most of it knew nothing about
reproducing pianos - was enthusiastic.

The following day, sereral pieces by Beethoven were given on rolls, but
I was not able to attend the performance.

Best regards,

Philippe

Philippe Rouille
(Paris, France)
rouille@cnam.fr
http://www.cnam.fr/museum/musica_mecanica/