CULTURE WATCH : Piano Forte

The first wonder of the piano, when it was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1709, was that unlike earlier keyboard instruments, it could play both soft and loud, piano and forte in Italian, whence the name pianoforte and, by abbreviation, piano. Only gradually did performers discover a second wonder in the new instrument. What had at first seemed a defect--the way the pianoforte’s tones hung in the air--became the key to a breathtaking new musical possibility. Performers found that by playing to this weakness, they could make the keyboard sing. They could simulate the continuous tone of the singing voice or of a wind instrument with their hands. It was a musical miracle, and during the late- 18th and 19th centuries virtually every major composer became part of it.

Tomorrow and Monday, as well as next Thursday and Friday, for the notably low ticket prices of $9 to $20, we can hear three dozen of the world’s best pianists, assembled in Pasadena for the first Ivo Pogorelich International Solo Piano Competition. The contestants will explore the richness of the piano each day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Ambassador Auditorium. To be even eligible for this competition, sponsored in part by Lufthansa, an artist must have won a medal in a major competition. Prices are higher but still reasonable for the last round, Dec. 13-15, and the finalists’ recital Dec. 16, when the $100,000 prize will be awarded.

Aristocratic and democratic at once, the tradition of solo piano performance is well served by this splendidly open competition.