The Piano Teacher (1991)
with financial support of the Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst
first performance: May 16-1992, Teatr Wielki, Warsaw
Aleksander Tracz – piano and recitation
two mime players from the Polish Balletschool
The Piano Teacher is a little opera for young children. It has been written for a piano player who has to combine playing the piano with playing the role of piano teacher. Besides, there are two mime players, who play the role of children. They prefer playing with their dolls to studying the piano.
The textbook (in English, there are also versions available in German, French and Dutch, see the score of the concertversion) is by Fer Bank.
There is also a concertversion for speaking pianist and slide projection.
synopsis:
Two children are busy playing with their dolls, while their piano teacher (male or female) is fanatically playing finger exercises on the piano. He (or she) is angry at his pupils. They should study the piano, not play with dolls.
Angry or not, the children are not impressed. They bring all sorts of dolls and put them on the piano, until it cannot be seen anymore. At last they throw a doll in the teacher’s lap. He (or she) is scared stiff and comes to the conclusion that he may be able to play the piano, he doesn’t know how to play with dolls. He agrees with the children, that he will teach them how the piano, whereas they will teach him how to play with dolls.
