Here is a brilliant home recording by Toronto pianist Artun Miskciyan which I helped him polish up for release.

I met Artun at Blue Sound in 2019. He had some chamber music recordings done at another studio but which needed some fixing up. I was immediately impressed not only by his virtuosity but also his keen ear for fine details in the recordings. He was exacting in his direction but enthusiastic about the process and companionable in the studio.

When the world was put on pause in 2020 it seemed like the right time to finally get delve into the piano in a serious way, something I’d been itching to do for ages. A friend had recently left me their disused Yamaha piano keyboard and I found myself in North Bay caring for grandmother. My partner and I had driven north to break her out of the care home where she was staying, convalescing from a knee injured on the ski hill. With little to do besides cook and run errands, I emailed Artun to ask if he were interested in taking on an adult learner. We began lessons shortly thereafter.

Artun has shown extraordinary patience as I stumble through our weekly piano lessons. He balances technique and emotion, able to observe and convey the most subtle body mechanics even through the limits of a webcam. As a recordist, I’m super impressed by what he’s accomplished by himself at home with his Steinway and a few microphones. Very little needed to be done to make this ready for delivery—some very light tone shaping, augmenting the small room with some artificial ambience, and the gentlest dynamics treatment. We tidied up an EP’s worth of pieces together and most of the session was spent just listening and enjoying, making the finest adjustments. Bravo.

Please, have a listen.