Pianos that play themselves are nothing new. Player pianos, also known as pianolas, using punch-cards or piano rolls to activate the keys, date back to the 19th century. They were popular items, and not only as domestic entertainment: no less a composer than Stravinsky wrote for them.
As always, technology moves on; today, digital components have replaced cards and rolls. One result is Steinway’s Spirio player piano, introduced a decade ago and now playing a central and distinctly physical role in Playing With Fire, described as both “an immersive Odyssey” and “a mixed-reality concert experience”. Neither description is particularly enticing, but what gets the Spirio’s keys jumping are the hands of Chinese-American pianist Yuja Wang, one of the most gifted musicians performing today.
