Sadly, even for many who begin working later in life, the flip side of “the work” is all too often burnout: the drag-yourself-to-the-job-on-Monday despair. The syndrome manifests itself when the spark of interest and challenge is extinguished by numbing ennui. When you begin working professionally at age 11, however, and are still happily at it three decades later, one can only assume that the driving force must be a passion—plus something else.
For Hierholzer, the excitement for piano’s challenges is obvious, and that “something else” takes many forms. The counterpoint of sitting on a piano bench for hours practicing and perfecting a piece is the recharge of physical activity: peddling a bike 20 miles (her husband is an avid cyclist) or, when time and weather allow, running and swimming. In addition, for a while, she was seriously breeding German Shepherds. Possessing an inquisitive and disciplined mind has enabled her to earn her private pilot’s license (Simpler is a retired airline pilot). Plus, she is currently adding Spanish to her collection of languages as her concert schedule often takes her to South America. But, when at home, her Saturday night addiction takes over: She is a regular at the auction houses, adding artwork, furniture, rugs, and pottery to her collections.
“And,” she fairly bubbles, “I’m an opera fanatic and love to accompany singers.”
Beyond the actual preparation for performances that has her on the piano bench five to six hours a day, coaxing a cascade of music from a stationary keyboard and the rehearsals for the concert itself, there are many professional demands that require Hierholzer’s attention. For starters, she employs two agents: one in the United States and another in Germany. She must inform them both of any benefit concerts she accepts so they can coordinate her calendar of worldwide commitments. She also spends time marketing herself by granting interviews, encouraging attendance at performances, and being involved in music-related activities. Prior to the advent of her website, she worked with her agents organizing the press packets of information and photos that preceded her arrival. There is also the fun part—wardrobe selection. Over the years, she has accumulated a substantial number of gowns and outfits for concerts and photo shoots for general publicity and CD covers.
The cover photo for a CD is, perhaps, the easiest part of the production.
“You would think that being able to repeat a piece until the sound engineer thinks it’s perfect would make it easier than a live concert,” she muses, “but it isn’t. I prepare for a recording the same as for a concert, but playing things six or seven times doesn’t make it better. I like to have an audience of even one at the recording to get me pumped up, but they must be extremely quiet. Taking two and a half days to record is standard, and sometimes, they deliberately pick the version with a mistake in it so the piece is not mechanical. At least you don’t have to worry about your attire.”
“Luckily, I love black, but every skirt or dress has to be comfortable to sit in and of a material that travels well.” And, then she jokes, “Don’t even ask my husband about the weight of my luggage when I travel.”
Sixteen years ago, in order to minimize travel, she and Simpler sold their home in Germany in oreder to live permanently in the United States. While the move reduced Hierholzer’s annual trips from 40 to a mere 20, it also presented new challenges and insights to maintaining her international career.
As if sustaining a freelance pianist career weren’t challenge enough, there are also the inherent risks of live performances going awry: Beverly Sills danced out of her shoes during one opera, Marie Osmond’s collapse during a recent taping of “Dancing with the Stars,” and Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction.” Hierholzer fortunately recalls only one such nightmare.
“I was playing in FDR’s birthplace in New York City on an old Steinway,” she states with appropriate horror. “The ending of the piece was six very loud F-minor chords. When I hit the first one, it sounded horrible. I was shocked and checked my hands to see that I had the right notes. The second and third chords still were awful, but in the cloud of sound, I couldn’t tell which note was off. After the performance I found that the F had been tuned to F-sharp. Now, before I perform, I always play a slow chromatic scale so I know if every key is tuned.”