Post-retirement mastery: acing a piano exam with finger joint prostheses
When retiring from a busy urology practice, Dr Hans Rabe (now 76) set himself the goal of playing UNISA’s most advanced piano exam. Despite having to play through the pain due to autoimmune arthritis, he achieved an A+. Savour this story of retirement, reinvention and resilience, told with a quirky sense of humour.
If you are new to podcasts, simply click on the arrow to listen to Hans and Mariette, or on the download button to download the conversation onto your device.
In ep. 222 of the podcast series Calm, Clear and Helpful, Dr Hans Rabe from Cape Town and Mariette discuss
singing “in voices” on long motor car trips, and piano lessons
Hans’ love of surgery and his role in bringing brachytherapy to South Africa
“tinkling away” daily
how playing UNISA’s Performer's Licentiate, now called the Performer’s Assessment, became Hans’ goal
challenges he faced, including autoimmune arthritis in both hands
Hans’ repertoire: a Bach partita, a Beethoven sonata, Granados’ Allegro de concierto, and a jazz impromptu by Alexander Johnson
“serene happiness,” and a postcard for Oupa Twinkle
new musical challenges
Hans’ philosophy of life, and view on retirement.
In this episode, Hans mentions Prof. Nina Schumann from Stellenbosch University.
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Also read Hans’ Up Close & Personal article, where he writes about excelling without being macho, what he learned from dentists’ wives, and an undertaking he can only warn against.
The free podcast series Calm, Clear & Helpful is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Player FM and Iono.fm – I hope you’ll subscribe!
Also listen to arts therapist Karen de Kock on how we can be silenced by depression, anxiety or trauma and how music can give us a voice.
Original music by Mart-Marie Snyman
Thumbnail image: Unsplash. Model used
Photograph of Dr Hans Rabe: supplied