Famous pianist Michelle Cann turns blunder into brilliance

On Saturday, April 6, renowned pianist Michelle Cann wrapped up her Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra debut with her final performance of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto. Perhaps only overshadowed in popularity by that of Tchaikovsky’s protege, Rachmaninoff, with his second piano concerto, the piece in question is known by many. It is this worldwide admiration that made the piece all the more challenging to execute, as audience members approach it with an assortment of unique expectations. Certainly, however, no one was expecting the major mishap of the evening, a single key in the lower register of the piano being out of tune. At first it was barely noticeable, until the music suddenly stopped and Cann turned to conductor Su-Han Yang to notify him of the issue, before walking off stage. Murmuring ensued amidst the masses as confusion fell upon the crowd until eventually, the pianist reemerged from off the stage, apologizing and highlighting a technical issue with the piano. She then started the piece over again, but the same peculiar note was never remedied, and parts of the song were left sounding like they were played by a piano from an old salon.& Nonetheless she played with passion. Sitting in the fifth...