Live in Berlin Variations and Violence Album
Live in Berlin: Variations & Violence was a live album by pianist Jacob Keller, recorded in 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 Berlin concert was recorded as part of Jacob’s European touring work. Its program included ‘’Threshold’‘, written during recovery from a severe seizure that temporarily made Jacob’s right hand unreliable, and Liszt’s ‘’Funérailles’‘.
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.
Reception
‘’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.