Greetings from Whitehorse!

The programme for this concert is as follows:
 

"Jupiter" from The Planets (original version by the composer)........................................Holst

Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun (2-piano version by the composer)...........................Debussy

Variations on a Theme of Haydn....................................................................................Brahms

     Intermission

Suite #2 for Two Pianos.......................................................................................Rachmaninoff

Because the programme included the Rachmaninoff, and because we hadn't played it since October in Oshawa, we thought it might be a good idea to warm it up, so to speak, before taking it to The Yukon.  Consequently, Jim arranged for us to play most of the programme at the Toronto Badminton and Racket Club, where he is a member, on Thursday night, the day before we left.  We didn't play the Brahms, as we had just played it for Music Toronto, and the B&R thought it best we keep the time to one hour.  As to the logistics, they arranged everything through Yamaha: the delivery, tuning and pickup the next day of the pianos.  All Jim and I had to do was show up, play, and partake afterwards of the wonderful gourmet meal they prepared for us.  Altogether, there were about 80 people, including our wives and some invited guests, and the evening was a great success.

The next morning, I got up at 5:30 am (ugh!), as the limo was due to pick me up at 6:45 (and Jim at 7:00) for an 8:45 flight; I like to pack in the morning, which is why I got up so long in advance.  The reason we had to leave so early is that we were scheduled to do a workshop for the teachers in Whitehorse that night, so we had to do the whole trip in one leg, rather than stop over in Vancouver for the night and fly to Whitehorse the next day.  Anyway, after 8 hours of traveling, and with a change of plane in Vancouver, we finally arrived at our destination at about 4:00 local time, which is three hours behind Toronto.  We were met at the airport by a wonderful lady named Michelle who was our liaison and a key person in the concert organization.

After checking into the hotel and crashing for a couple of hours, we headed over to the hall for the teachers workshop.  It was basically a question and answer session about various aspects of teaching and preparing for RCM exams.  Both Jim and I were impressed with the level of the questions and the tone of the discussion in general; they have a strong core of teachers here, and this shows in the quality of their students.  We feel strongly about meeting teachers and students wherever we play; as performers, we have a responsibility to the next generation of musicians and audience members, so we try to work with them whenever we can.

As to the pianos, because Whitehorse is so far north, it's not really feasible to have Bill Chapple drive two concert grands just for one concert.  Consequently, it was arranged that we use the instruments that live at the hall.  Well, what they have is a 9' Steinway, and a 4'8" Yamaha!  The only practical way to arrange them is to have the lid on the concert grand, with the lidless smaller one in front, so luckily, the louder of the two instruments here was the baby grand; if this had not been the case, we might have had a problem.  I had flashbacks to Macao nine years ago where we had the same thing, only both pianos were "no-names", and the 4'8" had a dull sound.  The results were predictable: Jim (who had the very shrill and loud 9-foot) practically blew me off the stage, through no fault of his I assure you; still, I felt like I was doing pantomime.  Here in Whitehorse, however, it worked out very well; I played the Yamaha because it was brighter (which is necessary in the Rachmaninoff, as I have the first part; besides, I always play the lidless one, regardless of what part I'm playing), and the balance was pretty good, though after the concert, some of the audience members, with a twinkle in their eye, asked how we decided who played which instrument!

Before closing, something should be said about the town and the people of Whitehorse.  Jim and I played here five years ago, and we found the level of culture to be really high.  There are restaurants that are as good as any found in Toronto or Vancouver, and the sophistication of the audience is at a level any city in the world would be proud of.  Part of the reason may be that, because of the scientists and researchers, 20% of the population (rumor has it) has a Ph.D.  However, it also could be that the very isolation itself makes people go after cultural amenities with an intensity sometimes lacking in larger centers.  Whatever, the reason, Jim and I love it here, and look forward to when we can come back.