The concert last night was lovely, and today I am slowly recovering from over-indulging in too much Spanish tapas at the post-concert fun with friends.

Yesterday’s concert took place at a hall where I have frequently performed, and so I felt very comfortable with everyone there. They also know me quite well, and so they were able to provide me with a situation which was quite ideal for my own mental and personal preparations. I was also pleasantly pleased and surprised by the quality of the piano, which had vastly improved since I last performed there two years ago. However, while the piano itself had a lovely resonance and responsive action, the bench was another story. As soon as I sat down on it, it squeaked. Loudly. It also looked so rickety that I could just imagine its legs falling apart at some crucial moment. Images started to race through my mind of the audience listening to the quiet intimacy of Chopin’s nocturnes, the crystal clarity of Ravel, or the poignant solitude of Takemitsu, all intertwined with and punctuated by the squeaks from my bench. Of course, I had to change it - luckily, because I actually live in the city where the concert was taking place, I simply brought my piano bench from my house to the hall so that I could use it.

This was a very, very mild inconvenience, but it got me thinking of the numerous unforeseen situations that often surprise us and can interfere with a smooth concert experience. This can range from (all of the below have happened to me):

1. Actually getting to the hall: Bad weather conditions, travel delays or flight cancellations, terrible traffic, lost luggage (including your performance dress), literally managing to arrive at the hall itself within ten minutes of a performance, having had no time to rehearse or think straight.

2. At the hall itself: Piano in a terrible state; hall acoustics are unbearable; other performers being delayed or not able to show up in time for the concert; stage lights or some other equipment breaking down at the last minute; backstage/dressing room area doesn’t have access to a private restroom (about 15 minutes prior to the concert I had to make my way, in full dress, to the public restroom right in front of the entire 1000 + audience who was coming into the hall).

3. Physical/mental: Getting the flu, getting food poisoning or some other ailment (like an eye infection or a sprained ankle on your pedal foot), feeling mentally or physically exhausted from travel and jet lag, being upset/disturbed by the behavior of people around you, or just feeling “off” in general.

All of these things can influence the quality of a performance. Performers somehow need to be able to transcend this stress and get into a certain frame of mind in which we can still achieve the concentration and connectivity needed to perform. This involves a certain mental preparation and process that is not easy to define. Everyone - from myself to my managers to presenters and hall staff - tries as hard as possible to create optimum conditions and the right environment, but no one can control everything, and inevitably unexpected things happen.

But what is more interesting to me, is how often we can surprise ourselves. Some of my best performances have been when I was so sick with a 104 degree fever, major body aches, sneezing and coughing like crazy, playing in the worst situation imaginable. When every possible thing that could go wrong, does, it’s almost as if everything, including physical awareness, dissolves and you are only left with an amazing mental clarity and concentration that allows you to delve deeper into yourself and find new unknown sources of inspiration.

Of course, the above example is very extreme and I would not want to do this all the time because it would just kill me. But it is nice to remind ourselves that sometimes, when the unexpected happens, when we feel at our worst and that there is absolutely nothing else left for us to give, everything drops away and we are able to suddenly discover a hidden path we couldn’t see before.

Click here to view a few photos I took from the concert