Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Piano Lessons, Sliding Scales
Producer Kaye Mortley has such a distinctive audio aesthetic. This story’s subject defies categorisation – it’s about piano playing, yes, but it’s also not about piano lessons at all. In an interview with academic Virginia Madsen, Kaye says the 'subject is a pretext for something bigger than the subject'. I’m going to take a leap and reinterpret this – all audio stories need to illuminate the human condition.
What astounds me most about this story is the editing – how the voices and other sonic elements collide and challenge each other, or combine to make new 'music'. That’s a skill and an art. Kaye is a true shokunin.