Yang I-Deun, a piano maestro

Yang I-Deun, a piano maestro...

Shopping malls go the extra mile to attract the crowd, be it by decorating the whole place in a particular theme (Xmas is coming, dingeling-a-ling....), road shows, inviting a or a few 'stars' to show their faces .....anything goes, in order to convey the message to the whole city and beyond that their mall is the best place to shop at.

Marketing bozo's from the Curve, a mega mall nearby our casa, took a wholly different approach.  Instead of using the stereotype marketing tools on hand (read above first paragraph), they opted to plant a grand piano smack in the middle of the mall.

Just a piano, nothing else, no spotlights, no speakers, no microphones, nada....zilch....

Ow yups, a discreet signboard saying that Yang I-Deun, his name sounds Korean, thus I assume he is really from Korea....but don't ask me which part, North or South...cos I don't have a clue......will be playing on the displayed hours that particular weekend. That's it...message is loud and clear...

Normally, we wouldn't be bothered with this, just a dude with a foreign sounding name playing a piano....so what?

Hold on.......he did play a kinda mean tune, I mean....his skills are actually A-okay.....ranging from classical pieces to the latest pop tunes....

Apart from that, he plays without looking at any notes whatsoever.......big deal, u might think.....come on....can you do it better,.....are you able to memorize so many different tunes, and be able to play them without a glitch......right, I don't think so :p

Observing him more closer and longer....this guy's body language whilst playing on the piano says it all....he is so immersed in playing the piano, that his whole body sways, rocks, his facial expressions contorting the emotions, the vibes that accompanies each piece of music....

And to round it off, after finishing each song to the well-deserved applause from the shopping crowd, he practically jumps on his feet and expresses his gratitude for our well-meant applause.

Actually, it is WE who should be honoured to hear and see a piano maestro at work....Yang-I-Deun, a name to remember....