FROM EAR TO EAR

A joyful view from an accompanist’s piano bench.

Blier’s delightful, lively, and intimate story about his illustrious career in music is overshadowed throughout by a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Young Steven first learned to play the piano thanks to a xylophone in nursery school and, thanks to being an early “operaholic,” became quite good at it, especially sight-reading. He also came out of the closet in college—“like jumping from an airplane without a parachute.” Blier set his sights on becoming an accompanist, the “equivalent of being a musical janitor.” After college he was fortunate to play for veteran popular singer Martha Schlamme, straddling the worlds of popular and classical music “like someone who plays Brahms and also deals drugs.” Classes at Julliard, where he later would teach, sharpened his skills in his early 20s and provided him with a passionate love affair. As a successful cabaret pianist, Blier dabbled with art song, opera, concert opportunities, and debut recitals. Playing for the Young Concert Artists competitions and “childhood idol” Roberta Peters and Patricia Brooks provided additional valuable experience. His career took a huge jump when he and a friend created a concert organization in 1988 that would offer a series of performances, the New York Festival of Song, which is still popular and now issuing recordings. His muscular dystrophy finally required getting a wheelchair, but career-wise he was working regularly with superstar singers like Cecilia Bartoli, a “dazzling virtuoso,” Susan Graham, and Renée Fleming. And he met a man, James Russell, who would become his husband. Blier would go on to successfully work with Lorraine Hunt (later Lieberson). The author is excellent at explaining how he puts his performances together, blending song and music, and fits them to the many people with whom he performs. It’s a struggle, but Blier still makes music.

A memoir that brings music and singing to life.