Frédéric Chopin is considered the first “pianistic” composer, which means he wrote specifically with pianists in mind. He tailored his music to their artistry and technical wizardry. But, he didn’t always launch into bracing octaves or challenging passagework. For example, in the Ballade No. 1 in G-minor, Chopin teases the audience with a meandering introduction that seems to indicate he […]

Music & Drama Education Expo is Europe’s largest conference and exhibition for anyone involved in music & drama education. Over two days, the event will offer the chance to attend over 60 seminars, workshops and debates. Taking place on 9 & 10 February 2017 at London’s Olympia Central, both days of the show will be packed with hours of useful […]

The Italian pianist Roberto Prosseda has previously recorded Mendelssohn’s complete piano works. Now he is embarking on a new, slightly less encyclopedic but equally ambitious project, that of recording Mozart’s complete sonatas. The first instalment, a double CD with Sonatas 1-6, was released earlier this year. At the Cremona Mondomusica Piano Experience, where Prosseda was engaged as artistic advisor, Piano […]

The Swiss physicist and Chopin connoisseur Alain Kohler, already known for discovering in a private German home a Pleyel piano that once belonged to Frédéric Chopin, has made another sensational find. Kohler, together with Gilles Bencimon of Radio France Internationale, recently announced that they have unearthed a new, previously unknown photograph of Chopin. The portrait was discovered by pure coincidence, […]

Maurizio Pollini’s talent was recognized early. At eleven, he first appeared in concert, as a teenager he already played the complete Chopin etudes. That’s many years ago. Countless, celebrated concert performances are behind him along with awards and recordings. On January 5th the Italian pianist celebrated his 75th birthday. Piano Street congratulates one of the great pianists of our time […]

In a significant improvement of Piano Street’s Audiovisual Study Tool (AST), Naxos Music Library is now fully integrated allowing users to conveniently stream recordings without logging in separately to a Naxos Music Library account. Moreover, 623 pieces by 8 composers have been added to the AST. Sheet music connected to recordings of piano pieces by Clementi, Haydn, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, […]

At the Cremona Mondomusica Piano Experience in October, the Italian pianist Pietro De Maria performed selected preludes and fugues from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC), as part of the exhibition’s Decca/Deutsche Grammophon showcase series. After the concert, Piano Street’s David Wärn had the chance to talk to De Maria about the challenges pianists face when tackling Bach’s legendary “forty-eight”. – You […]

Hear Trifonovs captivating recital at Carnegie Hall as of December 7th in works by Schumann, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and encores by Medtner. The music on this program requires poetry and passion that only a master pianist can deliver. “Daniil Trifonov’s playing has it all … he leaves you struggling for superlatives,” said The Guardian. Schumann’s Kinderszenen tenderly reflects on childhood, his […]

Unlike Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt or Chopin, Schubert was not a keyboard virtuoso. He played the piano only in the intimate gatherings known as Schubertiads. Nevertheless, he is certainly one of the greatest composers for piano, exploring the expressive potential of the keyboard in a succession of masterpieces for solo piano, piano duet, chamber music and song accompaniment. Therefore, it’s an […]

The recently published compilation “Beauty and Hope in the 21st Century” contains nine contemporary solo piano pieces from internationally renowned composers. All of the works in the collection draw their inspiration from 20th and 21st-century artworks. Piano Street’s Patrick Jovell spoke with the publisher Nikolas Sideris about the project, who also shared his beliefs about society and the music industry […]

On October 7 Murray Perahia released his first album for Deutsche Grammophon presenting Bach’ French Suites. He sees the French Suites as “Bach on the highest level”, adding, “I don’t think Bach wrote one note that didn’t have wider meanings and that wasn’t to be tackled with all one’s heart and soul.” Perahia joins Deutsche Grammophon Imagine if Cal Ripken […]

Piano Street visited Cremona last weekend to meet with Italian and international pianists and piano brand representatives at the Piano Experience. At the recent Cremona Mondomusica – an international music exhibition held every year at the end of September – about 300 exhibitors displayed thousands of fine, handcrafted musical instruments. The city of Cremona, situated in the region of Lombardy […]