But dominating the main room were three grand pianos, a Steinway Model D like the one at the Grand View, a Bösendorfer Imperial with its distinctive extra keys, and a Fazioli F278 that gleamed like liquid gold. You're early. That's good. Marcus spun to find Harrington emerging from another room.
The maestro was dressed casually now, slacks and a button-down shirt, but he still carried that aura of absolute authority. Punctuality matters in this profession, Harrington continued. Conductors won't wait for you. Neither will audiences. He gestured toward the Steinway. Sit. Let's see what we're working with.
Marcus approached the piano, his heart pounding. This was real. This was actually happening. Before you play some ground rules, Harrington said, pulling up a chair beside the piano bench.
First, when I'm teaching, you don't interrupt. You don't make excuses. You don't explain yourself unless I ask for explanation. You listen, you absorb, you execute.
Clear? Yes, sir. Second, what happens in this studio stays in this studio. I don't want you running to the press or social media every time you feel I'm being too hard on you.
If you can't handle direct criticism, tell me now. I can handle it. We'll see. Harrington pulled out some sheet music.
Sight-read this. I want to see how quickly you process new material. It was a Czerny étude, not impossibly difficult, but tricky with lots of rapid passages and unexpected modulations. Marcus took a moment to scan the music, then began to play.
He made it through the first page reasonably well, but on the second page, he stumbled over a particularly complex left-hand pattern and had to stop. Keep going, Harrington said sharply. In performance, you don't get to stop and start over. You push through mistakes, Marcus continued, his face burning.
He made several more errors, his fingers tripping over themselves. By the time he reached the end, he felt utterly defeated. Adequate sight reading for your level, Harrington said clinically, which is to say abysmal compared to where you need to be. My other students could sight read that piece perfectly the first time.
You struggled with basic rhythm and completely missed several dynamic markings. I'm sorry. I don't apologize. Fix it.
Harrington stood and moved to the piano pointing to a specific measure here. This passage. What's the time signature? 6/8. And you played it like it was in what?