A French museum has found a previously unknown piece of music handwritten by Mozart. The melody sketch is missing the harmony and instrumentation but was described as an important find. Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria, said there is no doubt that the single sheet was written by the composer. “His handwriting is […]

In order to keep good track of events around the world associated with the Messiaen Centenary celebrations, this is a very useful website with festival announcements, a calendar and recommended CDs: http://www.oliviermessiaen.org/messnews.html For example, the Messaien 2008 International Centenary Conference took place at the Birmingham Conservatoire, from 20-24 June 2008. http://www.conservatoire.bcu.ac.uk/messiaen

Musical tastes and personality type are closely related, according to a study of more than 36,000 people from around the world. The research, which was carried out by Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University, is said to be the largest such study ever undertaken. It suggested classical music fans were shy, while heavy metal aficionados were gentle and at ease […]

Since the discovery of a new Bach Cantata, found among the papers of Japanese pianist Chieko Hara who died in Japan in 2001 aged 86,  recent findings of other handwritten materials include two previously unknown manuscripts written by Bach when he was a teenage organist. The handwritten manuscripts, dating from about 1700, are copies of organ music composed by Dietrich […]

International concert pianists including Lang Lang, Cyprien Katsaris and Louis Lortie premiered a new piano concerto for ten pianos and orchestra during the Olympic Games in Beijing on August the 20th. Vladimir Feltsman, Liu Shi-Kun, Joseph Kalichstein, Philippe Entremont and Yin Cheng-zong also performed in this work with the China National Symphony Orchestra under Chen Zuo-huang at the Piano Gala […]

The historical aspect is an essential consideration for anyone involved in classical music. It is music created in another context altogether and basic conditions, like the musicians’ skills and the sound of their instruments requires a good imagination (and a generous dash of research) in order to obtain a full picture. For those who want to imagine the 18th century […]

Martha Argerich (born June 5, 1941) is an Argentine concert pianist. Her aversion to the press and publicity has resulted in her remaining out of the limelight for most of her career. She has given relatively few interviews. As a result, she may not be as well known as other pianists of similar calibre. Nevertheless, she is widely recognized as […]

The 2008 proms series has been announced, with several piano-centric events. The complete Rachmaninoff piano concerti will be performed as part of the series, plus the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, by pianists Yevgeny Sudbin, Nicolai Lugansky, Boris Beresovsky, Steven Hough and Olga Kern. Murray Perahia will also return to the Proms for the first time in 20 years. […]

Masterclasses, lectures and concerts on a daily basis to students from every continent by some of the world’s most distinguished teachers and performers in Oxford’s historic buildings. All classes and concerts are open to the public. Some of the artists who have appeared at the Festival include Rosalyn Tureck, John Lill, Menahem Pressler, Maria Curcio, Charles Rosen, Cristina Ortiz, Dmitri […]

A vast number of piano teachers and pedagogues are aware of the increasing sight- reading problem of students allover the world. In our ”hi-tech” age of websites, downloads, YouTube-videos and iPods, the instant accessibility of high quality recordings is taken for granted. Christine Brown is the author of the excellent book “Play at Sight”, published in the early 1960s and […]