September 29, 2026
Athens, GR – 14 C
Expand search form
Blog

The nightmare moment of a mighty pianist

Summer’s a time for wearing silly hats

The Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires, 80 today, became a global legend when, at a lunchtime concert in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw in 1998, she heard the orchestra start up a different Mozart concerto from the one she was expecting to play.

Her face is a picture of panic and depression.

The conductor, Riccardo Chailly, tells her she can make the switch from memory. He said: ‘You’re going to do well.’

She replied: ‘I am going to try.’

Amazingly, she did.

The video went viral on Youtube in 2013.

Happy birthday, Maria.

The post The nightmare moment of a mighty pianist appeared first on Slippedisc.

Previous Article

Who’s conducting the Olympics?

Next Article

Half a quartet gets wed

You might be interested in …

Aussie wins US orchestra

Aussie wins US orchestra

The Greensboro Symphony has named Christopher Dragon as its music director, the first in two decades. Born in Perth to Singapore parents, Dragon is also music director of the Wyoming Symphony. The post Aussie wins […]

Coliseum to perform Opera for Babies

Coliseum to perform Opera for Babies

English National Opera and the London Coliseum are presenting 14 performances of Opera for Babies next month. The shows are titled Orpheus’ Comfort and Amor’s Ease. Two kids up to six years old go free […]