Piano? That is precisely what the author of the book The Lost Pianos of Siberia cannot play. All the better that this travel journalist writes. In a gripping account of her travels through Siberia, searching for pianos, it feels while reading as if you are there yourself. You discover each piano, you feel the biting cold…
One of the advantages of this book is that you, thanks to author Sophy Roberts, have practically travelled through the most expansive, inhospitable country in the world: Siberia. It appeals to everyone's imagination. Roberts was fascinated by it and yes, one thing led to another. As a travel journalist, attracted by the story of pianos in the Russian Federation, she travelled through the wintery cold of Siberia, part of Russia.
Roberts not only tells about the pianos that she found, in whatever condition, in the most unimaginable corners of that infinite expanse. She also recounts how the piano conquered Russia, how the country became one of the greatest piano builders in the world, why pianos ended up everywhere, and how, after the collapse of communism and the subsequent years of total chaos, this did not do the love of pianos any good.
You don't even have to be a lover of classical music in general and piano in particular to devour this book. It certainly has not become a novel. It is history of then and now in a country that has not been democratic for long and is still not accustomed to it. Fortunately, the piano has regained importance.
Sophy Roberts is very objective and takes no stance regarding the politics of the past and present. She mentions everything as it was in a particular period and names things as we know them now. This is to make it simpler for the reader, whoever they may be, without being reductive. This makes the book all the more enjoyable. You also learn a lot about various conditions since the piano arrived in Russia. In a way, you could say, the piano is the common thread throughout Russian history over the last 250 years. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that captivated and drove the author? That an instrument, in whatever form and wherever, can be co-determinative for political and cultural resilience is unthinkable for us. In Russia, however…
For a moment I considered revealing some enticing details from this remarkable story, but no: I will not do so after careful consideration. I might spoil your reading pleasure somewhat by lifting the veil a little here and there. Do you know what you should do, after reading this brief review? Do what I did: get the book and read it. In this wet, cold spring, that is moreover an ideal activity. Better than watching television. Yes, right?
Sophy Roberts is a British travel journalist specialising in extreme destinations. She studied at Oxford University and Columbia University. She writes for Financial Times and Condé Nast Traveller. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is her first book.
- WHAT: The Lost Pianos of Siberia
- AUTHOR: Sophy Roberts, translated into Dutch by Robbert-Jan Henkes
- PUBLISHER: Ambo/Anthos Uitgevers
- ISBN: 9789026355059 | 416 pages | publication date: 13 April 2021
- PHOTOS: © Michael Turek