Classic keyboards take the stage for OPAC's piano competition

Aug. 6—OXFORD — The legendary American songwriter Irving Berlin put his feelings into the 1915 Broadway show, "Stop! Look! Listen!" and audiences gasped as they watched and heard six pianos play what Berlin described as one of his "best efforts."

"I love a piano, I love a piano, I love to hear somebody play," Berlin lyricized, even specifying what brand of piano. "I know a fine way to treat a Steinway, I love to run my fingers over the keys, the ivories."

There will be four Steinways calling the Oxford Performing Arts Center home for the next several days as 22 of the world's most talented youth assemble for the inaugural Rubato International Piano Competition next week.

Steinway & Sons, considered one of the most respected and renowned piano makers in the world, has placed its seal of approval on and sponsorship of the competition in allowing the use of their premier instruments.

They arrived Thursday afternoon and have been specifically tuned to match the acoustics of OPAC's concert hall.

Julio Barreto, OPAC Director of Music Education and founder of the Rubato competition, said the sound of a Steinway piano is unique.

"This is the Rolls Royce of pianos for a reason," Barreto said. "It's the only instrument where every sound you can imagine comes to life. There are no limits in terms of sound quality. Every idea of notes and chord progression ideas are amplified. There is an energy that comes back to you and makes you a better pianist."

Barreto said these pianos also have the unusual quality of not having to be amplified.

"There are between 23 and 27 great pianos around the world with great machinery to make music with," he said. "It's not a coincidence 98 percent of the great venues of the world choose a Steinway and it's not just because they are pretty. You hear them in every style of music. It's a great piano for a Rachmaninoff concerto or a Billy Joel song."

Barreto said while the piano being used on the OPAC stage is new, "This is the same design they have used for more than a century. It's perfect the way it is."

Regardless of brand, a piano is the one instrument almost no one can resist when one is within arm's reach.

"That's because it's deceptively simple," Barreto said. "It's not like a trumpet or a violin where it is challenging to produce a sound. On a piano, you just hit a key and the note sounds."

Of course, making a sound is much easier than crafting the music.

"When you play a piano, you are a full orchestra," Barreto said. "You are the trumpets, the violins, the cellos and the percussion. It takes hours and hours and hours of practice. It is so complex and involves so many neurological connections."

"Along with taking care of all the machinery in your head, you also at the same time are trying to give the audience something that is full of emotion," he said. "That is the most challenging thing about a piano."

The Rubato contestants will be arriving this weekend and begin attending master classes conducted by the competition judges.

Two additional pianos have been offered for use by First Baptist Church of Oxford so contestants will have ample instruments for rehearsal.

Semifinals will be free to the public Friday, Aug 12, at 6 p.m., but tickets are required.

The final round will be Saturday, Aug. 13, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15, $8 for students/children.