Live in Berlin Variations and Violence Album
Live in Berlin: Variations & Violence was a Deutsche Grammophon live album by pianist Jacob Keller, recorded at Konzerthaus Berlin. The album included the premiere of Jacob’s original composition ‘’Threshold (for Solo Left Hand)’‘ and preserved the piano-string break that occurred during Liszt’s ‘’Funérailles’‘.
Background and Recording
The label recorded the complete Berlin concert as part of Jacob’s European touring work. Its four-part program placed ‘’Threshold’‘, written during recovery from a severe seizure that temporarily made Jacob’s right hand unreliable, between works by Clara Schumann and Liszt.
During ‘’Funérailles’‘, a piano string broke with an audible report and produced a buzzing overtone. Jacob continued through the end of the work. The released recording retained the damaged-string sound rather than editing around it.
Track Listing
- J. S. Bach—’‘Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826’‘
- Clara Schumann—’‘Romance No. 1, Op. 11’‘
- Jacob Keller—’‘Threshold (for Solo Left Hand)’‘
- Franz Liszt—’‘Funérailles’‘
Reception
The audience remained silent for a full minute after ‘’Funérailles’‘. Reviews described the album as a controlled detonation, drew attention to Jacob’s jazz-adjacent phrasing, and repeatedly quoted the line, “There’s nothing polite about Keller’s playing. Even his silences feel bruised.”
‘’Threshold’’ became the album’s most frequently replayed track. Its later score publication brought the piece into the repertoire of pianists seeking substantial left-hand music, including musicians working with disability, injury, and changing hand access.
The broken string became the album’s best-known performance story. Later accounts sometimes enlarged the damage or the duration of the silence, while the recording preserved the event itself.