News Flash

2025-06-14

French School Pianists

This is the third release in APR’s ‘The French Piano School’ series within a year, featuring 14 pieces for piano and orchestra recorded between 1930 and 1949, performed by composers or expert interpreters, following earlier collections of French piano pioneers and Chaminade’s music.
Read more at .gramophone.co.uk

2025-06-13

Pianist's Stage Fright Fix

In recent years, Simone Dinnerstein began bringing a tablet on stage, which she credits with revitalizing her career. She finds reading scores on an iPad freeing and comforting, even though she still memorizes her music for performances.
Read more at wrti.org

2025-06-12

Symphonic Sounds on Two Pianos

Vanessa Wagner and Wilhem Latchoumia understand their different piano techniques and appreciate how their touches complement each other. They embrace Debussy’s orchestral textures, seeking finesse and shimmer to evoke early 20th-century sound, inspired by his call for a mellow, instrument-like tone.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-06-11

Most Popular Piano Piece in Australia?

Almost 140,000 votes were cast in the 2025 countdown, a record high in 24 years. The list features diverse works, including 11 by female composers, 27 by living composers, 11 by Australians, and 19 piano pieces for film or TV.
Read more at artshub.com.au

2025-06-10

Izik-Dzurko in Interview

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, back in Hanover, Germany after performing in Japan, told CFJC Today about upcoming tours spanning 10 months, including stops in the U.S., England, France, Canada, Peru, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, and more.
Read more at cfjctoday.com

2025-06-08

Lipatti The Composer

Dinu Lipatti’s legacy as a composer, though overshadowed by his legendary piano career, showcases a remarkable talent blending neoclassical clarity, Romanian folk elements, and deep lyricism. Despite a brief life, his small yet impactful works hint at vast creative promise.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-06-07

Aristo Sham Wins Cliburn

Hong Kong's Aristo Sham, 29, became the city's first pianist to win the prestigious Cliburn competition. He secured the gold medal, a US$100,000 prize, and the audience award, defeating five other international finalists.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2025-06-06

Pianist on Song

Working with Uchida was a truly special experience for Kožená. Though she had played the piece with others, Mitsuko's effortless, cosmic approach, paying meticulous attention to every note and harmony, made it profoundly inspiring and unique.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-06-05

Pianist's Stage Fright Fix

In recent years, Simone Dinnerstein began bringing a tablet on stage, which she credits with revitalizing her career. She finds reading scores on an iPad freeing and comforting, even though she still memorizes her music for performances.
Read more at wrti.org

2025-06-04

Instrument Gems at Display

This antique piano is displayed at the Chengdu Xin Smart Music Museum in Sichuan, China. The museum, with over 300 global instruments, offers an immersive experience using 3D imaging and holographic theaters to highlight musical history and technological innovations.
Read more at globaltimes.cn

2025-06-03

A Privileged Listen!

Why confine interpretation to a composer's intent? As Peter Kivy argues, an artist finds better, or different, ways to perform. The manuscript is a basis, not a prison. Zimerman's Chopin Sonatas performance reminds us that music is a living art, evolving with each performer's unique sensibility.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-06-02

Dutch Win in Brussels

Dutch pianist Nikola Meeuwsen won first place at the 21st Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, securing €25,000, solo recitals, and an Asia-Brazil tour with the Second Laureate. Finalists performed with the Brussels Philharmonic under Kazushi Ono.
Read more at koncon.nl

2025-06-01

Pianist and Scholar's Creative Life

Dr. Samantha Ege shares untold stories through music and words, focusing on figures often overlooked in classical history. Her book, South Side Impresarios, exemplifies this by revealing how Black musician-activists like Florence Price and Margaret Bonds shaped Chicago's vibrant musical community.
Read more at icareifyoulisten.com

2025-05-31

Chopin's Famous Heart

In a brutal world, Chopin's tender voice reminds us beauty resists quietly, and hearts find their way home. This is the artist's role: to let the heart journey beyond the body, creating enduring truth, insisting, even in exile, "I still belong where my heart is."
Read more at dailysabah.com

2025-05-30

Does Practice Makes Perfect?

Even elite athletes can't replicate movements identically. Our brains aren't wired for such machine-like consistency, regardless of practice. This isn't just about muscles; our brains play a crucial role in movement planning before any physical action occurs.
Read more at bulletproofmusician.com

2025-05-29

Bavouzet's Ravel Complete

Can Ravel's complete piano works fill an evening? Yes. While less diverse than Debussy's, the programme cleverly avoided "too much water music" by reordering pieces. Placing Valses nobles et sentimentales before Gaspard de la nuit offered a refreshing shift in musical element.
Read more at theartsdesk.com

2025-05-28

Yuja's Shostakovich

Shostakovich, initially a concert pianist like Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, shifted focus after an unsuccessful showing at the 1927 Chopin Competition. Though he abandoned a performance career, he continued composing and recording, including two piano concertos and sets of preludes and fugues in the Bach tradition.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-05-27

Get to Know Florence Price

Florence Beatrice Price, wrote over 300 works, some still performed today. Though a professor, organist, and accompanist, she's celebrated as the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra—her Symphony in E minor by the Chicago Symphony in 1933 which also premiered her Piano Concerto the following year.
Read more at wqxr.org

2025-05-27

Player Piano Day!

The 19th century saw pianos become central to middle-class homes, with children often showcasing musical skills. This era's technological advancements also birthed the player piano. In 1896, Edwin S. Votey created the Pianola, an external pneumatic mechanism that brought automated music to the home.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-05-26

The Moór Pianoforte.

While the casework was significantly altered, Moór's invention was truly a dual keyboard system for traditional pianos. Its aim was to simplify complex compositions and large intervals, such as those found in works by Rachmaninov and Chopin, making them more accessible to play.
Read more at worldpianonews.com

2025-05-25

Hiromi in Ten Takes

Pianist-composer Hiromi Uehara possesses restless creativity, seamlessly blending solo classical works with high-octane fusion since 2003. She's collaborated widely, notably with jazz legends like Stanley Clarke and Chick Corea, who famously invited her to duet at age 17.
Read more at wrti.org

2025-05-24

Purcell on Piano

Romanian pianist Cristian Sandrin delivers the first complete piano recording of Henry Purcell's eight keyboard suites. While harpsichord versions exist, Sandrin's piano interpretation offers a fresh perspective on these works, published posthumously in 1696.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-05-23

Pictures as Piano Pieces

Pictures at an Exhibition echoes Schumann's Carnaval in its character portraits. However, Mussorgsky's direct inspiration was far darker: his growing preoccupation with death, a shadow that consumed him seven years later.
Read more at classical-music.com

2025-05-23

The Chopin Podcast

Now on its second season, the Chopin Podcast, a multi-episode series hosted by Ben Laude features insights from Garrick Ohlsson, Chopin scholars, and medalists. This podcast offers an intimate, broad exploration of Chopin's works for both enthusiasts, curious and professionals.
Read more at chopinpodcast.com