REMEMBERING PEDER By Sandro Russo

I feel privileged to remember Peder's life in so many special ways, and hope that I can always keep all the beautiful memories and treasures of our friendship alive.

I first met Peder in the spring of 1999, while he was working toward the big project of painting views of the historical town in Sicily where I was born. Therefore he was staying in town for several weeks. From our very first meeting thanks to a mutual friend, his personality revealed many interesting sides. I felt quite honoured that he was the first foreign artist that I know of to appreciate the beauties of my town. That initial meeting and conversation was the beginning of a sincere and deep friendship.

While he was in Sicily we had lunch or dinner together almost every day, and I truly enjoyed his company. He was indeed a person that I could talk to about anything, and there was always a great sense of humour underneath. He told me often how flattered he was that people in my hometown appreciated and respected his work as a painter. He often emphasized to me how important “respect” is in life. Not only his work and warm personally defined the term “worth'' (or being worthy of something), but his life was also a remarkable example of what respecting other living creatures should be all about.

There are two significant incidents in those days when Peder was in Sicily that I cherish and believe are representative of his sensitive nature and nobility as a person: When he heard that I was a concert pianist, he showed much interest and appreciation for it, and he would often come to my apartment to hear me play the works I was studying in those times. Often I would have private recitals in my home, and I was delighted to invite Peder. I remember that after I performed a major work by Chopin, the B minor Sonata, he made some impressive remarks after the very powerful last movement and he had a request for me: he asked if I would play again a portion of the work, and I thought at first that the movement he might have in mind was the volcanic Finale. But then he said that he'd like to hear again the beautiful slow movement of the piece (the Adagio), and I was surprised at his request. That proved to me the profound soul that he was, and how noble and inspired his musical taste was. If Shakespeare's quote

“The man that hat no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, strategems, and spoils” has any relevance to our existence then Peder had to be the one who was fit for any good thing m life.

The other significant incident that stands out in my memory of our friendship has to do with an audition I played for in the spring of 1999. The audition took place in Palermo, and that morning Peder went with me and my dad to hear me play for this event. I felt I played very well. and Peder, too, believed in a good result. However I heard from the organizers of the competition that they gave the top award to a pianist whom I didn't deem qualified to get such an accolade. My temperament said to me that I shouldn't accept my award, which was to attend a two-week master-class in Cambridge, England. I still remember how I was venting to Peder about this during a lunch we had with a mutual friend, and how he was trying to make me see things in a more rational and less emotional way. He was able to teach me a lesson in diplomacy in the highest sense of the word, explaining to me why accepting the scholarship would be a good idea and an excellent opportunity for my career. He also encouraged me to write directly to the British professor who, after my brilliant audition, decided to arrange a special concert for me during the master-class. I never regretted going to England for this event, and for some reason I don't think that anybody but Peder could have succeeded at convincing me to go.

His generosity and sense of support continued when I moved to the United States in the winter of 2000. When I arrived to NY, Peder made sure that I had a piano to practice on and even gave me a car. He would come to my concerts whenever he could, and his presence was always a gift to me. I regret in many ways that here in the States we didn't have the same opportunities to get together, as we did in Sicily, to have those precious conversations mainly because of the distance between our homes.

Peder reminds me of what I feel whenever I listen to the great masters of piano playing: there isn't only much to admire in their art; we should study their performances and learn from them. I have indeed learned a lot from what Peder did for me, and try to be a messenger of his genuine passion and feeling about life, people and the arts.

His goodness and generosity will always inspire me.