upper waypoint

Photos, Video: Half Moon Bay Pianist Plays Piano on Fire

Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

A vintage baby grand piano that became a beachside attraction in Half Moon Bay has sounded its last note.

Local artist Mauro Ffortissimo’s project ended yesterday in a blaze of glory, as you can see below. His original concept was to let the elements have their way with the sound of the already rusty and untunable piano. But city code enforcement officials told him he couldn’t continue without a permit. So he decided he would play while the piano burned.

“There’s a way, I don’t know if you heard at Burning Man, when they do the effigy, you use the kind of fire accelerator that you could brush over and basically you have the whole silhouette catch on fire before it burns, so you’ll see the whole piano on fire,” he said before the performance. “And by then I think I will walk away.”

Ffortissimo said he plans to use the charred remains of the piano in his sculptures.

Lars Howlett Photography

Sponsored

The aftermath …

PianoCremation-20

More photos from Lars Howlett Photography here.

And here’s a Feb 9 performance at sunset you’ll probably wish you’d been at …

lower waypoint
next waypoint
California Law Letting Property Owners Split Lots to Build New Homes Is 'Unconstitutional,' Judge RulesAlameda: The Island That Almost Wasn’tJust Days Left to Apply for California Program That Helps Pay for Your First HouseIn Fresno’s Chinatown, High-Speed Rail Sparks Hope and Debate Within ResidentsFresno's Chinatown Neighborhood To See Big Changes From High Speed RailRainn Wilson from ‘The Office’ on Why We Need a Spiritual RevolutionIs California Headed For Another Tax Revolt?UC Regent John Pérez on the Gaza Protests Roiling College CampusesNPR's Sarah McCammon on Leaving the Evangelical ChurchWill Less Homework Stress Make California Students Happier?