We were all floored in the studio. Through no fault of his own, George Herbert sight read the entire song cycle of Venus & Adonis during the recording sessions for @SignumRecords. And piano isn't even his main instrument! I'm here to tell you the incredible story of George...
It was Sunday night, around 9:00 p.m. The recording sessions started the next morning. @GraceLSDavidson and I were chatting when I received a call. It was our pianist. He was injured... he would not be coming tomorrow! Have you ever felt your heart drop? Yeah, that was us.
We got to calling and texting every pianist we knew in London. But, being a Sunday night we stood no chance. It was looking extremely bleak —the whole project was at risk. And yet we had to call it a night. It was late...
The next morning Grace had an idea. The organist at @SJCChoir (where her son Joshua sang) also played the piano. His name was George. I'd never heard of him, but Grace spoke very highly of him; it was worth a try. So, I call him and explain the situation...
"I'll hop on the next train," he says. Two hours later, Grace and I arrive at the Saxmundham station to pick George up. When he arrived, smiling as he crossed the platform, he seemed like the nicest guy. (That turned out to be true.) But could he play? Could he sight read?
Back at @SnapeMaltings in the Britten Studio, everything was set up. Nick Parker and Mike Hatch in the booth rolled the tapes... There was no going back.
By the end of the first song, though, we were all grinning from ear to ear —including Grace. And we had to pick our jaws from the floor where they had dropped. George not only saved our entire project, he did so like Grace and him had been performing this for years together.
Those three recording days were a blast. We enjoyed every moment. George took it all in stride, in good cheers, and all with incredible musicianship. He had been put in a high-stress, high-stakes situation and he handled it like the most seasoned veteran —he's only 23!
Be the judge yourself and listen to George rock the piano part of Venus & Adonis for yourself.
🎧🎶👉🏻
From the sweetest pianissimo, to the most fiery technical passages —you'll find him complementing @GraceLSDavidson's exquisite voice just so. tr.ee/TqQATKXIhM
For more about George, please visit his website: georgeherbert.net
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.