Graeme Wall wrote:
On 29/05/2016 01:19, Recliner wrote:
I left and arrived through St Pancras yesterday (Saturday) and was struck
on arrival that all three pianos were being played, vigorously and
competently. In the morning, only one was in action, again being played
vigorously and competently. These gentlemen were all confident pianists,
apparently playing for pleasure, and without sheet music. And, yes, I've
seen many pianists in action in the undercroft, and they were all male
(and, btw, of the four, two were black and one East Asian).

I don't think they were buskers, but they seemed much too good to be just
casual passengers waiting for their Eurostars. Are London's professional
pianists now rehearsing in the grand undercroft? And where are the female
pianists? I'm sure London must also have plenty of gifted women pianists.

Sir Elton's recently-gifted Yamaha piano looks very smart and sounds good.
I wonder if he pays to keep it tuned? And, no, I won't make any olive oil
jokes. I think it was a great gesture of his, to pay for it and personally
launch it:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/vi...-station-video

This is so much better than bland, piped music, or even worse, advertising.


There's a piano in our local shopping mall and there are often women
playing it so perhaps it's a London thing.

I happened to be passing through Gare de Lyon in Paris this afternoon where
there is a similar piano that was being heartily played. I didn't make a
note of the gender or ethnicity of the pianist, though.

Robin