Don't Forget the Backflips

You won't find a more seasoned or eloquent page turner these days than Liz Parker in Toronto. Liz's recent article for ClassialFM.ca looks at the challenges and rewards of turning, both for family and for visiting artists. On last-minute gigs:

Page-turners are often an afterthought; the number of times I’ve received a last-minute message pleading for my services with little notice. I have sprinted several city blocks to get to the concert on time, with no prep. I’ve seen page-turners clearly not dressed for the occasion. Don’t blame them; they likely stepped in with no warning, though some of the outfits I’ve seen are unacceptable anyway. I’ve seen page turners take a bow with the pianist (which we deserve, but is a major no-no), or scoot onstage after the pianist is seated, and scoot back off after the pianist has reached backstage. I go by the newly-hatched-chick method of imprinting: I follow the pianist around closely (which may seem weird but hey, I’ve gotten lost backstage).

Some timely advice as well:

It takes skill and finesse, people.  

My advice for pianists? Be really nice to your turner. My other bro, Jon, always posts on Facebook a picture of himself with the page-turner de jour, to thank them. Mark your music CLEARLY for the turner, especially the repeats (Jamie uses super obvious markings in bright red). I appreciate directions such as “stand now” or “NO TURN” or “back three pages” or “UNFOLD THE BOTTOM FLAP SECTION NOW”. (When you’re onstage, that instruction makes sense.)

Liz Parker on Page Turning

Although Liz Parker does most of her work in Toronto as an extremely awesome publicist for classical musicians, she also moonlights as the top page turner in town. Steve Ladurantaye of the Human Facebook Project recently sat down with Liz for an interview about her experiences flipping Urtexts:

SL: You’ve done work as a page turner. Is that the stressiest job ever?

LP: It depends on who I’m turning for, and the repertoire. I usually turn for one of my brothers (Jon Kimura Parker or Jamie Parker) so it’s pretty relaxed, and both of them mark their music clearly so I know what’s going on. But yes, it’s stressful, because while you can’t add to the performance (unless you’re really hot) you can certainly detract by screwing up. The last time I turned for Jamie was a couple of weeks ago at Lula Lounge and the music had a ridiculous number of turn-backs, flip-aheads, etc. I didn’t turn all the way back like I was supposed to, but Jamie quickly turned to the right place. Fortunately, the violinist let out a whopper of a wrong note, so nobody really notice how flustered I was. You also have to make sure you don’t wear a plunging neckline, of course.

More Page Turning Links

Joanne Kaufman's Some Page-Turning Tales in the Wall Street Journal is a wonderful look at stories from pianists and their page turners. An anecdote from Joseph Kalichstein:

Several years ago, Mr. Kalichstein hired a young music student who kept reaching across the score to turn pages from the bottom right corner, in the process obscuring several measures of the concerto. "Take it from the top!" the frustrated Mr. Kalichstein finally hissed; reflexively, the page turner flipped the score back to the beginning. "Since then I've been very careful how I phrase things," said Mr. Kalichstein ruefully.

I don't know if the following video is a joke or not, but it celebrates the spiritual gift of the [sniff] page turner:

Here's a scene from Denis Dercourt's 2006 film The Page Turner:

Of course, with one of these, you'll never need another (human) page turner again...

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Pianist vs. Page Turner

Victor Borge Page Turner Skit

AirTurn Launches: Are Human Page Turners Obsolete?

Pianist vs. Page Turner

Liz Parker has just assembled some useful page turning tips for both pianist and turner at The Megaphone. For example, here is her take on the importance of pre-checking exactly what the last encore will be:

I once turned for Julius Drake, who was performing with baritone Gerald Finley. Julius was flipping back and forth between books, and not stacking “done” music on a pile on the left stand (something my brother Jamie always does); so I wasn’t sure when the concert was actually done. I forgot to check what the last song was. Since we agreed for me to stay out in between numbers, I panicked: when was the concert done? Do I go off? Do I stay out??? I couldn’t tell by the applause, either. Feeling a bit panicky, I gambled and stayed out. I felt awfully small and alone on the stage of Roy Thomson Hall, the whole world watching. Thankfully, they came back out, and Gerald introduced the encore. I exhaled. And the applause was enthusiastic enough that the encore was definitely warranted - it’s not like my presence forced it. But still!! So don’t make that mistake.

Be sure to check out Liz's page turning bio at the bottom of her article, in which I figure prominently. And be sure to leave comments for Liz with your funniest page turning stories, which she'll be compiling for a future article.

Page Turning: What the Pianist and Turner Need to Know

Victor Borge certainly knows how to interact with a page turner: