The Concert Pianist (35 page)

There had come a point, as there often would, when he saw himself playing - a moment of astral detachment - saw himself caught up in the mayhem, as if from a front-row seat, looking on at this concentration and hyperactivity as though he could see for a moment what it was like from outside to witness this furious catharsis, and just for a moment he was oddly self-conscious, suddenly detached, his immersion lost, so that it took a whole page of dreamlike playing to catch up with himself, to get back on the bus, and several seconds longer to embed himself in the onward rush and catch up with his fingers. And then the fast scales came back, brilliant runs from the top of the keyboard at spinning speed, twirling into the bass like missiles, and these you could not play without total togetherness and whiplash commitment; and when the main theme returned for the last time, the left hand spinning out cartwheels of semiquavers, which gave the impression of stabilised velocity, a fusion of effort and urgency, of absolute inexorable determination to force this theme over the brink, to get beyond this time, to convert this desperate headlong figure for better or worse; when he came to this point, goosebumps went up the back of his neck, both in terror at the coming crisis and at the glory in sight. He fastened on and pushed, driving himself beyond strict control into
untethered
expression, feeling and playing with unbridled intensity, and felt his heart race, so nearly there; and this was the bit they would love, had been waiting for, up, up and over, and now the notes came down, razor sharp, brilliant, a spangling arpeggio in the home key, followed by an eruption, scintillating, right up and around, pure tension, the climax of Chopin almost; throttling back for the final climb, the right hand travelling chromatically up, the left hand beating out that ominous figure for the last time, and then a spilling-over of glitter and sparkle; the final chords ratcheting, bass octaves thundering, straining to the ultimate cadence, deep B, grand, growling, right hand teeming from on high, the triumph, the summation, the last crash of octaves dispatched, skewered to victory, instrument ringing. Arms back. Wild release. Victory.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Grateful thanks to Mike Jones, Liz Calder, Mary Tomlinson, and all at Bloomsbury, to Felicity Rubinstein, my agent, and to the following readers and friends for their helpful comments and/or assistance: Margaret, Roderick and Rowland Williams, Pip Torrens, Claire Wrathal, Mark Roberts, Isobel Dixon, David Sherwin, Lucy Parham, Christina Lawrie, Katrine Mac-Gibbon, Tony Mulholland, Mark McCrum, Sue Spence and Clive Kaye. Thanks also to Carole Blake and Julian Friedmann for their kind support. I am eternally grateful to Fiona Williams.

The following books were also helpful:
Lipatti
by Dragos Tanasescu & Grigore Bargauanu, Kahn and Averil (1988);
Sviatoslav Richter Notebooks and Conversations
by Bruno Monsaingeon, Faber and Faber (2001);
Arthur Rubinstein, A Life
by Howard Sachs, Phoenix (1997);
Solo,
by Bryan Crimp, Appian Publications and Recordings (1994);
Remembering Horowitz,
edited by David Dubal, Schirmer Books (1993);
Conversations with Arrau
by Joseph Horowitz, Limelight (1984);
The Lives of the Great Composers
by Harold C. Schonberg, Abacus (1998);
A Winter in Majorca
by George Sand, Palma de Majorca (1992);
Chopin's Funeral
by Benita Eisler, Knopf (2003);
Chopin
by A. Boucourechliev, Thames and Hudson (1963);
Chopin
by Arthur Hedley, Dent (1966);
Piano Notes, The Hidden World of the Pianist
by Charles Rosen, Allen Lane (2003);
Great Pianists of Our Time
by Joachim Kaiser, Allen & Unwin (1971).

A
NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

Conrad Williams was born in Winnipeg and lives in Willesden. He read English and Law at Cambridge, qualified as a barrister and now works as a film agent. His first novel,
Sex & Genius,
was published by Bloomsbury in 2002. He is married with two children.

BY
THE SAME AUTHOR

SEX & GENIUS

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Also available by Conrad Williams

Sex & Genius

In Michael Lear's opinion, James Hilldyard is the master of the contemporary novel. Travelling to this genius's home in Italy, Michael is bafflingly offered a job as the great man's literary secretary. This peaceful break from his failing London media career seems just what Michael needs – until beautiful actress Adela Fairfax comes to town, followed by a pack of Hollywood hounds sniffing at her heels, all trying to buy the film rights on Hilldyard's as yet unpublished novel…

Sex & Genius
is set on that high plane where creative genius and big business clash. Williams knows the territory well and he plays out his drama there with tension and panache.

‘An assured literary debut'
Bookseller

‘Conrad Williams writes like a dream … Exciting reading … This is a supremely intelligent and intense novel'
Publishing News

http://www.bloomsbury.com/author/conrad-williams

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/sex-genius-9780747561521/

Unfinished Business

Mike is a literary agent with high standards and a passion for great writing. He is equally discriminating in matters of the heart and ready to fall in love. But when his best client sacks him and his hopes of marriage are dashed, Mike begins to fall apart. Emotionally reeling, he seeks respite in the beautiful wilderness of the Black Mountains, only to discover that his old flame, Madelin, and her husband now live there too. Drawn into the midst of their marital crisis, his humiliation is perfected as their superfluous middle man.

But when a top agent suggests a plot to restore his fortunes, Mike begins to come alive again. It looks like love and achievement might be his at last – if he is prepared to do the wrong thing, and do it ruthlessly.

Unfinished Business
is an entertaining novel about literary and romantic affairs in marriage and work.

http://www.bloomsbury.com/author/conrad-williams

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/unfinished-business-9781448215515/

First
published 2006
This electronic edition published in 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

© Conrad Williams, 2006

Conrad Williams has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author's imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The moral right of the author has been asserted

All rights reserved.
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ePub ISBN: 978 1 4088 8105 7

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