"Take me out to the ballgame"

Perhaps this entry should be titled "The game of improvisation." Gabriela Montero is a Venezuelan pianist who's got the chops not just for classical piano performance but also improvisation. An NPR feature has her listen to the song "Take me out to the ballgame" and then improvise it on the spot. In another broadcast, she improvises the theme for the show "All Things Considered." My favorite is a piece titled "Beyond Bach: Improvisation on a Bach theme."

On iTunes, I downloaded a podcast (this is supposed to be a series of five shows, but there's been only once since May) and I love what she did with "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." The podcast is mostly an interview (and Ms. Montero has a lovely voice and accent) and ends with the interviewer's request of an improvisation on a theme of childhood. Gabriela doesn't just improvise themes by other composers; give her an idea or an emotion, she interprets it on the piano and then improvises immediately after. Her improvisation on the theme of childhood made me very wistful.

Since I was in a wistful mood all morning and afternoon, I went to her website and put in a request (the interviewer said they were taking them, though I'm sure they're very selective). I asked for an improvisation on the theme of lost futures - the lives we might have led, but didn't.