A pianist’s triumph

Re “Alicia de Larrocha, 1923-2009: Spanish pianist went from child prodigy to virtuoso,” Obituaries, Sept. 27

Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha is such an inspiration. As you wrote, “she was just under 5 feet tall and had unusually small hands for a pianist,” but she managed to conquer that and become one of the world’s most outstanding pianists.

I compare her triumph to the bumblebee’s ability to overcome gravity, although its anatomical makeup suggests that flight is impossible. Brava.

Evan Dale Santos

Adelanto, Calif.