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The 88th day of the year: World Piano Day

Blog
The 88th day of the year: World Piano Day

17.04.2018

Article: Cem Kayıran
Ilustration: Saydan Akşit
Translation: Yetkin Nural

World Piano Day, founded by one of the most creative names of the today’s music scene, Nils Frahm, is being celebrated for the fourth time this year. The celebrations, which happens on the 88th -the number of keys on a piano- day of the year, 29th March, is expanding every year.

“I have always wanted a day for myself and piano is a magnificent thing to celebrate.”

Nils Frahm

The German musician founded the World Piano Day to support his project Klavins 450, world’s largest piano with four and half meters length, and the day was embraced by masses, becoming an annual celebration since 2015. The celebrations, which were kicked off by Nils Frahm’s social media initiatives, are now expanding all over the world, from Poland and Britain to Canada and Korea.

Nils Frahm started this year’s celebrations with special gifts. The musician shared tracks that didn’t make it to his album Solo, together with a letter, from World Piano Day’s official website. Frahm stated that the tracks have beautiful surprises for the day, as a “thanks” to all who contribute to make World Piano Day a worldwide event.

We should also mention Give a Piano initiative, which was started in 2016. Kicked off as a project under World Piano Day, this initiative is matching unused pianos with their new owners. Give a Piano finds pianos that are left in storage or became furniture in luxurious houses and redistributes them to talented musicians without the finances to buy this expensive instrument.

 

Every year, songs shared by amateur or professional musicians from all around the world for World Piano Day are compiled into a playlist. Last year’s playlist, which included a hefty sum of 173 songs, is a great place to start exploring new piano music.

“Why does the world need a Piano Day? For many reasons. But mostly, because it doesn't hurt to celebrate the piano and everything around it: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and most important, the listener.” 

Nils Frahm

There have been hundreds of performances organized for 29 March World Piano Day and some of those found a special place in music history. For example, last year’s celebrations included a magical concert on the top of the Table Mountain (around 1000 meters high) in South Africa, where a piano was lifted to the top and 14 musicians gave performances.

 

As previous years, Funkhaus Berlin, which also houses Frahm’s studio in Berlin, is at the center of celebrations. The tickets for this year’s concert, which includes names like Jan Roth, Charlotte Brandi and John Kameel Farah, is already sold out. Other World Piano Day concerts will take place in tens of different countries and  include musicians from different generations like Andrea Belfi, Peter Broderick, and Arthur Jeffries. To find out the detailed event schedule, click here.

Nils Frahm’s call for a day for piano and music lovers to celebrate the instrument as they wish has been getting positive feedback from the music world, especially from Erased Tapes record company. We are wishing that Istanbul also becomes a part of the international celebrations next year. Happy World Piano Day!

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