Everyone can play the piano at Amsterdam Centraal Station
When I walk into the hall on the east side of Amsterdam Centraal Station, the sounds of Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’ come floating my way. Behind a big black grand piano, set up in a corner between two pillars, a man is seated with his collar high up his neck and a hood pulled over his head. Firmly he plays the instrument, seemingly impervious to the freezing draught that blows through the hall.
The piano at Amsterdam Centraal Station is part of a Dutch Railways project that partners with local organisations; they place pianos in stations throughout the Netherlands. Amsterdam and Nijmegen were the first cities to get a piano, soon followed by Breda, Groningen and Arnhem. Who are the people playing these pianos? Are they regulars or occasional artists? Do they aspire to careers in music or is music a pleasant escape from the daily routine?
Exciting to sit down and begin
The man with the hood has stopped playing. He introduces himself as Dirk, an insurance company employee. He’s off work for the week and gladly takes the opportunity to play the piano for an hour.
‘It’s the second time I’ve been here. The first time was in November, when the piano had only just been installed. It’s quite exciting to just sit down and begin to play. For me it’s a sort of personal experiment, learning to play for an audience and seeing how they respond to me and I to them. But whether people stand still to listen or not is up to them.’
Will he be back tomorrow? ‘No, I’ll be with my mother to celebrate her birthday. She’s broken her knee, so I can’t bring her to hear me play for her. When she’s better, we must come here one day to do so.’
Come by every day
A man in a black coat and jeans shuffles from behind a pillar to get a bit closer to the piano. It’s Jaap and he comes here, if possible, every day. On the way back from his work at Schiphol Airport, he passes Amsterdam Centraal Station and stays to listen for a while. ‘I could go home, but my wife is still working when I finish for the day, so I’d just be alone.’ He’s come to know a few of the pianists who come here quite regularly, but he himself will never touch the keys. ‘I’d only scare people away,’ he laughs.
Meanwhile, the piano seat has been occupied by a boy. In turn, the dreamy sounds of Einaudi and a sonata by Grieg drift off the keys. It’s Wander who’s playing. He’s sixteen years old and lives in Hengelo. He regularly comes to Amsterdam to do a school project. ‘I’ve heard piano music in the station before, but I always thought it came from the speakers. One day I just walked by and was surprised to find an actual piano.’ Wander has been playing his mother’s piano for only four years. Before that, he had his own keyboard. ‘But that doesn’t count, according to my piano teacher.’ When he finishes high school this year, he wants to audition for the conservatory. Amsterdam won’t be his first choice, though. ‘No, I want to go to Zwolle. I’m still young, and studying there would allow me to stay with my parents. That would seem sensible.’
The audience have multiplied during the hour I’ve spent beside the piano. Throughout the hall, groups of people have gathered to enjoy the music, and others on their own also stop to listen. They must go soon, but stay just a little longer. It’s as if the music hypnotises you, making a small intermission in your ceaseless journeying, your sense of always being on your way somewhere.
By Anne Brugts, content manager Story Terrace
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This month we serve up stories in our monthly theme ‘Romance of the Railways’. Also read our article about 19th century traveller Simon van Gijn. What’s your fondest memory of train travel?
