Book Review

Wolf's Blood
by Jane Lindskold

This book rounds out the Firekeeper series, and gives it a satisfying ending without wrapping up every last thing in a neat bow. In this book the renewed contact with the Old World and the re-emergence of magic bring about new conflicts and creative resolutions. I quite admired the way the series has a meta-plot centered around the physical and cosmological opening up of Lindskold's world. I also liked the way the series isn't about epic conflicts of Good and Evil; it's about societies, cultures, and nations confronting each other and how to solve the problems that arise.

My hot date with a piano

I had a great time. L1037 is a glorious instrument. The action and touch are so responsive - whatever I was trying to achieve was just there, without struggle. I tried out a couple of things that are rather strenuous for me to play (John Adams' China Gates, and the third movement of Beethoven's Sonata in Eb), and they were still difficult, but noticeably less physically tiring. There was something more subtle about the pedal action as well.
The tone of the piano was like to die for. I have this ideal piano sound that exists in my head. Now I know it exists in the world, too. It was the perfect mixture of mellow and brilliant. Having nine feet of length available for the strings and sound board makes a huge amount of difference in the lower octaves. The bass register of L1037 was so much richer and more alive than in smaller pianos. I kept stopping during pieces to play low chords multiple times. And sometimes the beauty of the lower notes was enough to distract me from my playing and cause me to stumble over a passage here and there. And the highest notes had an extra resonance, too. They didn't sound the slightest bit plinky or hollow.
I played some of my own works, some Beethoven, China Gates, a little Chopin, a bit of Bach, and a Bartok suite. Everything sounded and felt so good. It was an absolute pleasure, and I really could have stayed there for the rest of the day.
After I finished up with L1037, Other Kenjari and I discussed the process of piano purchasing with Vivian, one of Steinert's staff. I had made it clear when I set up the appointment that I did want to start talking about it, so this was no slick sales pitch or anything like that. The odd thing is that when I first talked to the Steinert folks at the film and when I first came to Steinert's Vivian originally suggested I consider Boston and Essex pianos, which are designed by Steinway but made in separate factories, with less handcrafting. After she'd heard me playing for a minute or so at the end of my session, she pretty much said she could see that I was a serious trained musician and that I should go with a Steinway because the tone would be too important to me. It's quite gratifying to know that even though I am not an amazing pianist, my playing nonetheless makes it clear that I am a professionally trained, very serious musician. So there was some discussion of price and financing, but not a lot. Vivian showed me Steinway's various baby grand models and made some suggestions about which ones I would probably like best and find most suitable. Then she left me alone to play them for about 15-20 minutes. I got a spec sheet and gave them my information so they could put me on the mailing list for news about pianos and performances at their store. There was no pressure - Vivian seemed to get that this was a long-term process for me at this point. Yes, I've made the first step towards one of the largest and most significant purchases I will ever make in my life. Buying a grand piano is, for me, a very close second to buying a house. At least financially. From a personal and emotional perspective, I think it's bigger than a house.