Richard Pennycuick wrote:

>For some time, B&W speakers has used a photo of Alfred Brendel in an
>advertisement that appears on the back cover of Gramophone and elsewhere.
>I've seen it many times but have only just noticed that the index and
>middle fingers of each hand are taped.  Could this be a legacy of a nasty
>accident at the barbecue or is it standard practice for professional
>pianists?

He apparently wore them for protection, making a bilingual pun, when he
said that he performed best when he was "plastered", the word "Pflaster"
(i.e., plaster) being the German for adhesive bandage.

Walter Meyer