Hewitt, one of the world's leading classical pianists, said in a Facebook post that she had just finished recording Beethoven's piano variations in Berlin when the movers entered the studio control room to tell her they had dropped her handmade Fazioli piano.
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This sounds like something out of my worst nightmares. Imaging being trusted with something so valuable and then it gets broken. I would not want to be the mover that had to let Angela Hewitt know they had just dropped her piano and that it was “kaputt.” I was trying to think of something that I own that I would have a similar reaction to, but I can’t think of anything because I don’t have a single piece of equipment that aside from being like a best friend, costs so much money, and that I’ve had for over 15 years. Hearing about this only made my anxiety spike! I get stressed when I drop a foam part of a prop in the rehearsal room - now increase the stakes by 1 million, and I think my heart would just give out if I had dropped that piano. R.I.P.
This is so sad, I cannot believe how hard this must have been for Hewitt. Her language in the article sounds almost a little nonchalant, but she also said that it took her 10 days to share the sad news. This means she was in deep mourning over her piano for 10 days. And based on what I know about how much musicians value their instrument, this is not surprising to me at all. My great uncle was a professional string bass player for many years and every time he traveled he always bought a plane ticket for his bass and brought it on the plane with him. His specific instrument, like Hewitt’s was one of a kind and very very expensive. He was so attached and protective over his instrument that he never let anyone else move it or ship it and he never played another bass at concerts. I imagine that Hewitt’s feelings were the same for her piano, but it is a piano so she couldn’t move it on her own, so she had no choice but to let the movers handle it.
This is such a sad and unfortunate situation for Angela Hewitt. She could not have done anything to prevent it and it was completely an accident by the movers. I am sure the movers feel so terrible for this loss they created in her life. Instruments become a part of your life. Like she commented, instruments are like friends. This specific piano seems like it has been with her for so many important milestones in her life like her 17 years of recording on it. I am looking forward to seeing what she picks for her next piano. Hewitt seems to have a close relationship with Fazioli, and I am sure they are going to make her a new one that will eventually become just as special. It is very interesting that she had four pedals on her previous piano and I am interested to see if they have that on her next one.
Oh my god would I hate to be one of the mover in this situation. I was surprised with how sad this article made me feel. It does seem kind of silly since it is an inanimate object, but it was a rare and personal one. I get attached to items all the time and if they were to be destroyed I would be heartbroken. I can only imagine what Angela Hewitt must be feeling, especially with the piano being one of a kind. I’m glad that it appears that she holds no resentment towards the mover because it was not their fault and they must feel positively awful about the situation. This is just a matter of unfortunate events and goes to show that things can still go wrong no matter how careful you are. Hopefully Hewitt will get a new, nice piano soon even though it won’t exactly be the same.
Well, this surely is an unfortunate incident. I’ve never even been in the presence of an instrument valued so highly, so I can’t even imagine the kind of loss felt when the primary instrument you use for expression is no longer there. It’s interesting to think about how tools become an extension of ourselves when looking at things like this. It is unfortunate on all fronts. Obviously, for the owner, this piano meant a great deal, but also for the movers, who have apparently never done something this catastrophic. It makes me think about how to be careful when we are operating within an artistic field because there is a lot of time, energy, and money being put into the things we work on and one small mistake can lead to lots of headaches and potential heartache. It appears she will be able to get another piano though and one would hope she had insurance so hopefully, this will not put her out of commission for too long.
This is a great example of life’s unpredictability. The pianist did not go into her day thinking her most prized possession would be scrap wood by the end of the day. Musical instruments are difficult to safely transport, especially pianos. I once did a production of Fiddler on the Roof where the most expensive thing in the set was the fiddler’s fiddle. There was one crew member whose sole job was to safely transport the fiddle. One thing's for sure, I do not want to ever be a mover. Movers have a really stressful job transporting valuable possessions. Sometimes things break, especially when stress is applied in new unexpected ways like when things are being moved. It's a good thing that the piano has insurance. It seems silly to insure a piano but if that is her job then it makes sense. It’s almost like when a model insures a body part.
Wow, I mean this is so sad. A part of me feels like it's silly to be sad over a piano, but I do truly feel the pain in my heart for Angela Hewitt. This was a prized possession. It was rare, expensive, and had been with her for so long that she called it one of her best friends. She recorded so many pieces with it over 15 years, so it quite literally was there to see so many stages of her life. I also feel bad for the movers. Mistakes happen on jobs, and this was a really tragic, really expensive mistake. I can't imagine the anxiety and stress the poor movers felt after this incident as well. Overall, it's just really upsetting for all parties involved. I am really glad no people were hurt (ah, the classic cartoon trope of a piano falling on you), but it's crazy to think about this having happened at all.
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