The first Cristofori reproduction was finally finished at the turn of the new year, and went immediately to Oregon, where Edwin Good now lived. Ted had been one of the curators of the Smithsonian’s Piano 300 exhibit, and was fascinated by the 1722 original. He decided to commission a copy from us as a souvenir of the event. We were just ready to wade into this new territory in the summer of 2001, but Tom’s accident put construction on hold. So it was a long wait until the piano got shipped in January 2005. A first appearance for Ted and the piano at the big Steinway studio in Portland had long been scheduled for only days after it arrived. He flew Barbara out as well to take care of them. The piano case exterior received one coat of Venetian red paint to give it more presence on stage.
A more complex decorative project was underway on a Flemish harpsichord: marbling of the case exterior was turned over to a faux finish artist, while Sheridan Germann did her usual soundboard painting and we papered the interior with traditional Flemish designs.
Meanwhile, the 2005-06 season saw another MozartJahr – this time marking his birth. A fine time for the Labèques to make a North American tour with the Venice Baroque Orchestra and Andrea Marcon. They played a Mozart duo-piano sonata and concerto for half the program; the Italians provided half a program of Vivaldi works. The tour started in Quebec and ended in Florida after more than a dozen concerts. They rented two Walter pianos from our colleague Rod Regier, and Barbara went along again as piano nanny.
Another important harpsichord delayed by Tom’s accident was commissioned by the University of Maryland for its new performing arts center. As an institutional instrument that would be used in a variety of ways in different halls, it had to cover a range of musical and visual requirements. It turned out so well that we occasionally borrowed it for special concerts and recordings (more to come on its Grammy-worthiness!).
