Classical Music, Liberated
Written by Cathy Carroll Lying under the nine-foot Steinway in the middle of a meadow at sunset, they felt the music resonate in their bodies as never before. Wading through a creek in a fragrant pine forest, Rachmaninoff washed over them. At the top of Mount Bachelor, they peered hundreds of miles over alpine lakes and valleys, Ravel unraveling in their ears, heightening the beauty. From Oregon’s dunes, waterfalls and wine country to its deserts, deepest lake and cathedral-like, river-carved canyon spires, pianist Hunter Noack’s 1,200-pound grand-piano-on-a-flatbed-trailer phenomenon, In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild, is transforming the classical music experience. Wireless headphones for each guest capture the music, freeing both Noack and his audience from concert halls as well as the requisite attire and pricing, both of which can pinch. A nonprofit with support from dozens of partner organizations, sponsors and foundations allows the artist to reach stunning,…