Tuner Niko Versmessen talks about his fascinating job!

What is it like to meet well-known artists? Do they have special requirements?

No matter how famous and legendary a pianist is, they always turn out to be a human being like you and me, whom you can talk to like your neighbour. Apart from that, the contact varies according to their nature: some are not very communicative, others are eloquent; most are amiable, but you also come across some who are a bit gruff.

Many pianists are simply satisfied with the instrument as tuned, regulated and voiced, and have no need for adjustments. There is rarely any discussion about tuning, but there are personal preferences in terms of the adjustment of the action (the feeling of playing in the keys: rather light and direct or rather deeper and heavier) and voicing (the timbre: rather bright or rather round). Sound and feeling impressions are always difficult to put accurately into words, so I try to consult carefully to make sure I fully understand what someone is feeling or desiring. It helps if, as a piano tuner, you play the piano yourself. It sometimes happens that pianists request an adjustment that is not at all in line with what I feel, such as making certain notes softer or stronger, but I always accommodate them. Still, we cannot always slavishly follow what is asked, because some requested interventions have an irreversible impact on the instrument. For example, when someone asks for a very soft sound, I can only meet this to a limited extent because otherwise it will lose a piece of its powerful, dynamic potential permanently.

In some of the Brussels venues (Flagey, Bozar, La Monnaie) I am like in my second home. There are concerts all the time and very often a piano is involved. For any self-respecting concert hall, the norm is that a piano should be tuned at least before each concert, and preferably also before the rehearsals that precede it. This means that tuning takes place at any time of the day: sometimes the first rehearsals start at 9am and the instrument must be tuned beforehand. Most concerts start at 8pm and the instruments are still being tuned just beforehand. In some cases, a quick touch-up is requested during the break. Many people wonder if all this is really necessary or useful, as home pianos only need to be tuned a few times a year at most. This certainly makes sense, as a concert grand piano sometimes has to endure the hands of pianists, while we always want to ensure that every sound and every chord continues to sound perfectly pure. In addition, pianos are sometimes moved around and the lighting also has an effect on the temperature.

Working in concert halls is a welcome change from private work. Besides, there is always excitement and magic in the air. Just before the concert the pressure is on, this is the 'most exciting' moment. I quickly tune the last notes while nervous musicians are pacing backstage. In the meantime I can already hear the growing buzz of a few hundred impatient spectators who still stand in front of the closed doors for a few minutes until I give the signal to the hall attendants to indicate that I have finished my work.

Have you formed any special relationships with certain pianists?

For some concert pianists I've met on stage, I've been maintaining their piano at home for years now and I still contribute to their CD recordings. You get to know each other better not only personally but also professionally, so that you need fewer and fewer words to understand what they want. With foreign pianists I only meet when they are on tour in Belgium, this relationship is less obvious, but there are also some who still recognise me after years.