News Flash

2026-07-10

Who Will Compete in Hungary?

The Franz Liszt International Piano Competition has announced fifteen candidates for its 2026 edition, held September 15–20 at Pécs' Kodály Centre. Chaired by Olga Kern, the finals feature Liszt concertos with the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra under György Vashegyi.
Read more at

2026-07-09

Tianxu An in Conversation

Chinese pianist Tianxu An, trained in Beijing, Curtis and Juilliard, has performed with leading orchestras worldwide. After calmly overcoming a famous mix-up at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition, he earned fourth prize and a special award for courage.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-07-08

Jablonski and Bomsori on Bacewicz

As interest in the music of Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz continues to grow, pianist Peter Jablonski and violinist Bomsori Kim discuss her remarkable legacy, their artistic journeys, and the enduring richness of Poland’s musical heritage.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2026-07-07

From Tuners' Point of View

NHK’s 2015 documentary Another Chopin Competition: The Struggles of Piano Tuners offers a unique perspective on the International Chopin Competition, focusing not on winner Cho Seong-jin, but on the pianos and the master tuners behind them.
Read more at chosun.com

2026-07-06

Hough to Lead The Leeds

The Leeds International Piano Competition has appointed British pianist Sir Stephen Hough as Artistic Director and 2027 Jury Chair, unveiling a renewed artistic vision as applications open for the next edition, culminating with finals in Leeds in September 2027.
Read more at pianistmagazine.com

2026-07-05

Hear Pianist Nduduzo Makhathini

South African pianist-composer Nduduzo Makhathini’s new Blue Note album, The Myth We Choose, deepens his spiritually rooted musical journey, blending ritual, cosmology and improvisation in a powerful expression of healing, tradition and artistic purpose.
Read more at jazztimes.com

2026-07-04

Conrad Tao in Conversation

Pianist and composer Conrad Tao discusses his genre-spanning career, musical influences and creative collaborations in a new GPB interview with Sarah Zaslaw, recorded during his May performances with the Atlanta Symphony and available to hear through July 5.
Read more at gpb.org

2026-07-03

DG Signs 16-Year-Old

Deutsche Grammophon has signed 16-year-old German pianist-composer Justus Eichhorn, releasing his debut album, The Source, on September 4, 2026. Featuring Weimar-linked composers, the recording follows his rapid rise through sold-out concerts and a half-million social media followers.
Read more at theviolinchannelmcom

2026-07-02

Pianist Redisposing

When pianist Sun Youl arrived in France, teacher Olivier Gardon asked him to limit practice to three hours daily, challenging perfectionism with a simple question: if flawless playing is the goal, what is the music truly for?
Read more at koreaherald.com

2026-07-01

An Impreressive Comeback

Lee Hun’s career changed after a devastating 2012 stroke left his right side paralyzed and impaired his speech. Once fearing he would never play again, the former doctoral student overcame immense challenges to become a professional left-hand-only pianist.
Read more at gwnews.com

2026-06-30

Legendary Yvonne Lefébure

Yvonne Lefébure shaped twentieth-century French pianism through distinguished students including Dinu Lipatti, Samson François, Imogen Cooper. Documentaries celebrate her teaching, while Alfred Cortot inspired her Romantic repertoire with power, grandeur, and profound sensitivity throughout life.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-06-29

Pianist Redisposing

When pianist Sun Youl arrived in France, teacher Olivier Gardon asked him to limit practice to three hours daily, challenging perfectionism with a simple question: if flawless playing is the goal, what is the music truly for?
Read more at koreaherald.com

2026-06-28

Pianist Composing for Others

Italian composer and pianist Olivia Belli reflects on discovering composition through curiosity rather than ambition, explaining how years of studying music’s inner workings shaped her artistry before composition evolved from a private discipline into personal creative expression.
Read more at classical-music.com

2026-06-27

Unbelievable Facts

Classical music history seems full of powdered wigs, solemn portraits, and stiff concert halls. Yet behind its greatest composers lie bizarre tales of fan frenzy, obscene humor, hypnosis, abandoned murder plots, and eccentric obsessions with trains and numerology.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-06-26

The Emperor in Athens

Composed amid the Napoleonic Wars, Beethoven’s final piano concerto combines grandeur with deep emotion. Austrian pianist Lukas Sternath joins the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under Constantinos Carydis, performing from Pnyx overlooking the ancient Acropolis of Athens.
Read more at arte.tv

2026-06-25

Rediscovering Fanny

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Complete Solo Piano Works Vol. 1 launches Markovina’s four-CD exploration of the composer’s piano music. Inspired by research into the Mendelssohn family, she discovered Fanny’s distinctive, bold, and original artistic voice.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-06-24

Legendary Ibrahim Dies

Adolph Johannes Brand, born in Cape Town in 1934, later became Abdullah Ibrahim. Raised in multicultural District Six, he began playing piano at seven, drawing inspiration from its vibrant creative environment before apartheid-era forced removals transformed the community.
Read more at theconversation.com

2026-06-23

Steinway and Carnegie Hall

Steinway & Sons and Carnegie Hall have unveiled a limited-edition grand piano celebrating their partnership since 1891. A Steinway featured at the Hall’s opening performance, and the brand has remained the instrument of choice for most Carnegie Hall concerts.
Read more at worldpianonews.com

2026-06-22

The Ultimate Piano Capital

Curious about Paris’s vibrant musical world in the 1830s and 1840s? Paul Castel-Andrew’s Paris Pianopolis explores the city’s piano culture, artistic life, and musical innovation, revealing the environment that shaped Chopin, Liszt, and Romantic-era performance.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-06-21

Twentieth Century Stellar Pianists

s recording and mass media transformed musical culture, pianists became public icons as well as artists. This decade-by-decade survey explores the figures whose influence, visibility and artistry most powerfully shaped perceptions of pianistic greatness throughout the twentieth century.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-06-20

Seven Brendel Gems

Following the death of Alfred Brendel, we revisit seven landmark recordings that define his remarkable legacy. Renowned for intellectual depth, clarity and integrity, the Austrian pianist brought rare insight and poetic restraint to the core classical repertoire.
Read more at classical-music.com

2026-06-19

Transcription or Not?

Once scorned as indulgent or sacrilegious, classical transcriptions have a rich lineage from Bach to Liszt. Ahead of a new album, pianist-composer Stephen Hough explores how reimagining existing music can dazzle, provoke and endure today.
Read more at theguardian.com

2026-06-18

The Art of Left

While great pianists are usually associated with two working hands, artists including Géza Zichy, Paul Wittgenstein, Cyril Smith, Siegfried Rapp, Gary Graffman, and Leon Fleisher built distinguished careers performing with one hand, reshaping piano repertoire.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-06-17

Kozhukhin's Haydn

Haydn’s sonatas demand exceptional artistry on a modern Steinway, and Kozhukhin delivers with clarity, lightness and engaging musical insight. While the humour is subtle, the C minor and E minor Sonatas emerge as the collection’s strongest works.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk