Amusing Review
M. Slater
Subject: Kropp Piano Recital
The recital last evening in the Chamber Music Room of the Erawan Hotel by the
US pianist Myron Kropp, the first appearance by Mr Kropp in Bangkok, can only
be described by this reviewer and those who witnessed Mr Kropp's performance as
one of the most interesting experiences in a very long time.
There was a bit of disorder at the outset when the ushers, apparently brought
in
from the dining room, had some trouble placing concert-goers in their proper
seats, a situation that was little helped by several late arrivals.
The audience eventually was seated, and a hush fell over the room as Kropp
appeared from the right of the stage, attired in black formal evening wear with
a small white poppy in his lapel. With sparse sandy hair, a sallow complexion
and a deceptively frail-looking frame, the man who has repopularised Johann
Sebastian Bach approached the Baldwin concert grand, bowed to the audience and
placed himself upon the stool.
It might be appropriate to insert at this juncture that many pianists,
including
Mr Kropp, prefer a bench, maintaining that on a screw-type stool they sometimes
find themselves turning sideways during a particularly expressive strain.
There was a slight delay, in fact, as Mr Kropp left the stage briefly,
apparently in search of a bench, but returned when informed there was none. As
I
have mentioned on several occasions, the Baldwin concert grand, whilst
basically
a fine instrument, needs constant attention, especially in a climate such as
Bangkok. This is even more true when the instrument is as old as the one
provided in the Chamber Music Room at the Erawan Hotel.
In this humidity the felts which separate the white keys from the black tend to
swell, causing an occasional key to stick, which apparently was the case last
evening with the D in the second octave.
During the 'raging storm' section of the D Minor Toccata and Fugue, Mr Kropp
must be complimented for putting up with the awkward D. However, by the time
the 'storm' was past and he got into the Prelude and Fugue in D Major, in which
the second octave D plays a major role, Mr Kropp's patience was wearing thin.
Some who attended the performance later questioned whether the awkward key
justified some of the language which was heard coming from the stage during
softer passages of the fugue.
However, one member of the audience, who had sent his children out of the room
by the midway point of the fugue, had a valid point when he commented over the
music and extemporaneous remarks of Mr Kropp, that the workmen who greased the
stool might have done better to use some of the grease on the second octave D
key.
Indeed, Mr Kropp's stool had more than enough grease, and during one passage,
in which the music and lyrics both were particularly violent, Mr Kropp was
turned
completely round. Whereas before his remarks had been aimed largely at the
piano, and therefore somewhat muted, to his suprise and that of those in the
Chamber Music Room he found himself addressing himself directly to the
audience.
But such things do happen, and the person who began to laugh deserves to be
severely reprimanded for this undignified behaviour. Unfortunately, laughter is
contagious and by the time it had subsided and the audience had regained its
composure, Mr Kropp appeared to be somewhat shaken. Nevertheless, he swivelled
himself back into position facing the piano and, leaving the D Major Fugue
unfinished, commenced on the Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor.
Why the concert piano's G key in the 3rd octave chose that particular time to
begin sticking, I hesitate to guess. However, it is certainly safe to say that
Mr Kropp himself did nothing to help matters when he began using his feet to
kick the lower portion of the piano instead of operating the pedals as is
generally done.
Possibly it was jarring, or the un-Bach like hammering to which the sticking
keyboard was being subjected, but something caused the right leg of the piano
to
buckle slightly inward, leaving the entire instrument listing at approximately
a
35-degree angle from that which is normal.
A gasp went up from the audience for if the piano had actually fallen, several
of Mr Kropp's toes, if not both feet, would surely have been broken. It was
with
a sigh of relief, therefore, that the audience saw Mr Kropp slowly rise from
his
stool and leave the stage. Several men in the back of the audience began
clapping and when Mr Kropp reappeared a moment later it seemed he was
responding to the ovation. Apparently, however, he had left to get the
red-handled fire axe which was hung backstage in case of fire, for that was
what he had in his hand.
My first reaction at seeing Mr Kropp begin to chop at the left leg of the grand
piano was that he was attempting to make it at the same angle as the right leg.
However, when the weakened legs finally collapsed altogether with a great crash
and Mr Kropp continued to chop, it became obvious to all that he had no
intention of going on with the concert.
The ushers, who had heard the snapping of piano wires and splintering of
sounding board from the dining room, came rushing in and, with the help of the
hotel manager, two Indian watchmen and a passing police corporal, finally
succeeded in disarming Mr Kropp and dragging him off the stage.
Could that be the perfect end to a perfect evening, I wonder?
(Review in 'The Australian', reprinted in 'Adelaide Fountain' 52, January 1990,
p.9)
Dwain Lee
Marx Brothers movie.
Dwain
"M. Slater" <harpsic...@aol.comedy> wrote in message
news:20010616192253...@ng-cf1.aol.com...
arovo
Dwain Lee wrote in message <9ggr4o$tv$1...@slb5.atl.mindspring.net>...
>Is this for real? It's absolutely hilarious - sounds like a scene out of a
>Marx Brothers movie.
LOL! just saying that about the Marx brothers makes me laugh more! ROTFL!
John Brock
1995. There was a little bit of information at the top that was
different than here. My copy starts out:
A Humid Recital Stirs Bangkok
(This review by Kenneth Langbell appeared in the English
Language Bangkok Post. It was made available by Martin
Bernheimer of the Los Angeles Times.)
(Reprinted from the Washington Post)
THE RECITAL, last evening in the chamber music room of the
Erawan Hotel by US Pianist Myron Kropp, the first appearance
of Mr. Kropp in Bangkok, can only be described by this
reviewer and those who witnessed Mr. Kropp's performance as
one of the most interesting experiences in a very long time.
[...and so on...]
I was ROTFL when I read this, and I do hope it's for real!
In article <9ggr4o$tv$1...@slb5.atl.mindspring.net>,
Dwain Lee <dl...@dlarch.com> wrote:
>Is this for real? It's absolutely hilarious - sounds like a scene out of a
>Marx Brothers movie.
>"M. Slater" <harpsic...@aol.comedy> wrote in message
>news:20010616192253...@ng-cf1.aol.com...
>> copied from alt.music.j-sbach:
>> Subject: Kropp Piano Recital
>>
>> The recital last evening in the Chamber Music Room of the Erawan Hotel by
>the
>> US pianist Myron Kropp, the first appearance by Mr Kropp in Bangkok, can
>only
>> be described by this reviewer and those who witnessed Mr Kropp's
>performance as
>> one of the most interesting experiences in a very long time.
[...etc...]
--
John Brock
jbr...@panix.com
George Scott
>Marx Brothers movie.
>
>Dwain
>
urban legends) says:
---begin quote---
Origins: This article has to be one of the all-time champs for the widest
and most frequent dissemination. It was written by Kenneth Langbell and
first appeared in the English-language version of the Bangkok Post under the
title "Wild Night at The Erawan" on 27 May 1967, and it has been printed and
re-printed in newspapers all over the world for more than thirty years now.
The article often appears as "A Humid Recital Stirs Bangkok," attributed to
Los Angeles Times music critic Martin Bernheimer (who apparently popularized
it in his column), and sportswriter Joe Gilmartin of The Phoenix Gazette has
turned it into a holiday tradition by running it every Christmastime since
the early 1970s.
Alas, this piece is simply a bit of humorous fiction, one of Kenneth
Langbell's weekly satirical humor columns intended as a send-up of pompous
reviews. The Bangkok Post has received numerous questions, comments, and
complaints about the article over the years, including "a plaintive query
from the makers of the unfortunate piano, concerning all the negative
publicity stemming from the original Post."
---end quote---
Dwain Lee
"George Scott" <gnsc...@home.com> wrote in message
news:wjTW6.299363$oc7.23...@news2.rdc2.tx.home.com...
>
> Dwain Lee wrote in message <9ggr4o$tv$1...@slb5.atl.mindspring.net>...
> >Is this for real? It's absolutely hilarious - sounds like a scene out of
a
> >Marx Brothers movie.
> >
> >Dwain
> >
> Unfortunately, apparently it's not. www.snopes.com ( a useful source for
That's okay, it's still funny! It has the same sort of ring as the old joke
( I just got it again in an emaila couple weeks ago) about the English
bricklayer explaining, ostensibly for a government workers' compensation
form, how he obtained all of his multiple injuries in a workplace accident.
Dwain
Tom Shaw
Glad I was right.
There was a hilarious satrire written ostensibly by a entertainment scout,
unfamiliar with Andres Segovia, who was writing to his boss in a lot of
excitement after attending one of Segovia's concerts, how great an idea it
would be to get this guy under contract if they could only get him to quit
shushing the audience and tuning his guitar in the middle of a piece without
stopping, etc. etc. I wish I could find the source of this one.
TS
"George Scott" <gnsc...@home.com> wrote in message
news:wjTW6.299363$oc7.23...@news2.rdc2.tx.home.com...
>