Piano Man mystery ends - in mystery

Good news - a relatively happy end to the disturbing 'Piano Man' story.

The so called 'Piano Man' was found wandering in a coastal area of Kent in April. His identity was unknown, and he failed to communicate with any of the officials caring for him. The music community took up the story as he showed some ability as a pianist.

It has now been confirmed that the mystery man was from Bavaria. After breaking his silence the 20 year German flew home on Saturday. The UK health service and German foreign ministry are not naming the man for confidentiality reasons.

So tantalisingly the 'Piano Man' mystery ends in mystery. Can any readers think of any talented young German pianists who have been missing from the concert circuit for the last five months?

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Comments

Berend de Boer said…
Talented? You've been taken hook line and sinker by the MSM I believe. Reports I've heard was that he was called talented because he could hit the same key twice, and over and over again.

Have you actually heard him?
3:09 am
Pliable said…
The post actually said "The music community took up the story as he showed some ability as a pianist".

The post was a news item in response to requests from readers round the world for coverage of this UK story.

It was not a concert review.There is an excellent source of these online via this link.
9:02 am
Pliable said…
See also this link today.
12:25 pm
Anonymous said…
If the piano man could hit the same piano key twice, he might have been a minimalist music genius, after all.

Or I wonder if Werner Herzog set this guy up, and then used his film opening about a man who befriends and then is eaten by a grizzly bear as a smoke-screen.
3:37 pm
Pliable said…
The mystery was finally solved today (23rd August). The man is Andreas Grassl, age 20 from Prosdorf in Germany.

There is talk of the UK health service suing him for deception. His lawyers insist he is mentally ill.

Oh dear, much better if he had stayed silent.
9:32 pm
Berend de Boer said…
Thanks pliable, in this case the inmates were running the asylum it seems.
11:12 pm
Pliable said…
Berend's previous comment has to be one of the most pertinent ever made about this extraordinary saga.
8:49 am
Pliable said…
Some observers are dismissing the Piano Man saga as freak show.

Although there are clearly farcical elements to it we have to beware of dismissing it for this reason. There is a very thin grey area between genius and mental instability which many great musicians inhabited. I touched on it in
Laminar flow region, and it is a subject the disturbing Piano Man episode has prompted me to return to.
9:08 am
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