It's probably every musician's worst nightmare: imagine yourself sitting on stage ready to play a concerto and the orchestra begins to perform a completely different piece...😮
That's exactly what happened to the great Maria João Pires in 1999 when she stepped in to replace another pianist on short notice. In a formidable tour de force performance, Pires changed course and miraculously didn't miss a beat of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 (and not No. 23 like she had been expecting!) alongside Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouworkest. 🤦 https://bit.ly/42qubHB //

pierre_le_bourrelet
3w
Difficulty : Internationally reputed orchestra, in front of a crowd, under cameras, any mistake will be heard as it’s a solo, you are unprepared and you discover you have to do it 1mn before playing, you have no choice
Do you realise how terrifying and impressive this is ? //

bradleymadlyy
1w
As a musician, I’ve noticed people commenting on her ability to “switch it on” or “go into flow state” but I can tell you this is simply what 10,000 hours of practice looks like. She is a musical warrior and she has put the time into honing and refining her skill. All that is to take nothing away from her obvious raw talent, but this isn’t a mystical experience or a Jedi mind trick, it’s the end result of years - decades - of passion and hard, hard work. //

orchestereo
3w
Shoutout to Mozart for writing a long enough introduction 😎 //

hermanbbbb2
1w
Maria Joao Pires is such a hero. And so is Chailly for how he reassures her with his confidence //