Piano eats accompanist’s sheet music in page turning nightmare

16 August 2022, 11:00 | Updated: 16 August 2022, 12:20

This was obviously a particularly tasty Tchaikovsky tune...

Pianist Angela Todorova was accompanying a violinist in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Méditation’ for violin and piano... when the unthinkable happened.

Todorova’s page turner, who was very engaged in the music and turned the page at the right time, unfortunately lost grip of the sheet music and the keyboard part slid into the piano, swallowing the paper whole.

Both the page turner and Todorova couldn’t keep a straight face, as the page turner searched frantically, looking through the strings of the piano to find a clue as to where the music – from Tchaikovsky’s 1878 Souvenir d’un lieu cher – had gone.

Luckily, Todorova was able to continue playing, showing true musicianship and skill, despite having lost the upcoming notes. Watch below.

Read more: 4 hilariously awkward page-turn fails in classical concerts

Sheet music swallowed by piano mid-concert

After an anxiety-inducing 20 seconds, the page turner managed to retrieve the music from the instrument’s jaws, and it’s unclear if the violinist even noticed the chaotic scene unravelling behind her.

Regardless, both musicians kept a clear head and superb level of professionalism during the improbable incident, and received a deserved round of applause for both their playing and their management of the situation. Brava!