News Flash

2025-09-17

Chinese Piano Music

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music Press, supported by the Shanghai Municipal Chinese Culture Going Global Special Fund, has expanded international reach with its Selected Chinese Piano Pieces project and 2025 Music Traveler European Tour, combining publication, performance, and education.
Read more at citybuzz.co

2025-09-16

The Chopin Podcast: Sonatas

In Episode 5 of Season 2, Ben Laude and Garrick Ohlsson explore Chopin’s sonatas with guests Yulianna Avdeeva, Martín García García, and Jeffrey Kallberg, concluding with Jed Distler’s recommended recordings of these multi-movement masterpieces.
Read more at chopinpodcast.com

2025-09-15

The Largest Piano

At 20, Adrian Mann began building the 5.7-metre Alexander piano, completing it in 2009 after four years. Once the world’s longest piano, it became a remarkable experiment embraced by many distinguished artists for its unique sound.
Read more at thepress.co.nz

2025-09-14

Forceful Soviet Impact

Some lives seem destined; most unfold through circumstance. For Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, born in St. Petersburg in 1906, the “accident” of his time and place defined him. Shostakovich came of age amid revolution, ideology, and the rise of mass media, forces that shaped him into one of the 20th century’s greatest and most emblematic composers.
Read more at bandcamp.com

2025-09-13

A 20th Century Visionary

French composer Darius Milhaud (1892–1974), member of Les Six, pioneered polytonality, jazz, and experimental techniques. Prolific and eclectic, he placed the piano at the heart of his output, embodying rhythmic vitality, harmonic innovation, and cross-cultural influences.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-09-12

Warsaw Winners' Opening Concert

The Chopin Competition opens on 2 October with a festive Inaugural Concert. Four past prize-winners join the Warsaw Philharmonic under Andrzej Boreyko, performing Saint-Saëns, Poulenc, Bach, and Chopin’s Polonaise in A major in orchestral arrangement.
Read more at polskieradio.pl

2025-09-12

Best Recorded Chopin Sonatas?

A century after Percy Grainger’s 1926 premiere recording of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3, once dismissed as chaotic and overlong, Peter J. Rabinowitz surveys countless interpretations, exploring how evolving performances reshape the sonata’s reception.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-09-11

Versatile Pianist Hersch

Musical versatility takes shape in pianist-composer Fred Hersch’s fearless, intimate, ever-evolving artistry. Across four decades, he has forged a remarkable legacy through daring collaborations - with jazz greats, innovative vocalists, and the next generation of rising stars.
Read more at npr.org

2025-09-10

Aiming for the Stars?

You’ve probably heard "shoot for the stars; even if you miss, you’ll land on the moon." But does aiming for perfection really get us farther than aiming for excellence? Let’s find out - with a fun quiz and poll!
Read more at bulletproofmusician.com

2025-09-09

Piano Pedagogue Legend

Maria Curcio, a prodigious pianist who survived wartime adversity, never pursued the solo career she seemed destined for. Instead, in Britain she became a legendary teacher, mentoring artists like Argerich, Uchida, Lupu, and Fleisher, profoundly shaping pianism.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-09-09

French Win in Clara Haskil

Founded in 1963, the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Vevey has just wrapped its 31st edition. From 133 entrants to three thrilling finalists, French pianist Paul Lecocq triumphed, winning after performing with the Zermatt Festival Orchestra.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2025-09-09

Chinese Win in Busoni

Chinese pianist Yifan Wu claimed first place and the €30,000 Busoni Prize with a stunning Beethoven Concerto No. 3. He also secured the €3,000 Audience Prize, the €1,000 Alice Tartarotti Prize, and the Keyboard Career Development Prize.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2025-09-08

Thoughts on Tchaikovsky's Seasons

Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons may not rival Swan Lake, but these charming 1875 piano miniatures - written on commission with monthly themes - come alive when performed by great artists, transforming modest pieces into something unexpectedly delightful.
Read more at npr.org

2025-09-07

Which Pianists are on Gramophone's Shortlist?

Gramophone announces the 2025 Classical Music Awards shortlist. The free digital magazine presents reviews of 66 nominated recordings across 11 categories, with direct links to Presto Music for streaming and purchase.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-09-06

Narrow Keys Digital Piano

Pianist Linda Gould, hindered by small hands and injury, reimagined the instrument itself. She created Athena, the first 88-key narrow digital piano, designed to make every piece playable with shorter keys tailored for all musicians.
Read more at cheknews.ca

2025-09-05

Immersed in Mozart

Mitsuko Uchida, celebrated for nuanced Mozart interpretations, offers listeners profound insight into his works. With acclaimed concerto and sonata recordings, her Viennese training and cosmopolitan artistry unite technical mastery with deep sensitivity to Mozart’s expressive and emotional world.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-09-05

Bruno Monsaingeon in Cremona

At 81, Parisian director, writer, and violinist Bruno Monsaingeon continues to celebrate musical legends through his acclaimed documentaries. This year, he brings his expert eye to the jury of the PianoLink International Amateurs Competition at Cremona Musica 2025.
Read more at /cremonamusica.com

2025-09-04

Yuja's London Masterclass

Yuja Wang, world-renowned for virtuosity, charisma, and interpretive depth, conducts a masterclass with Royal College of Music students, imparting insights to inspire their artistic growth, refine technique, and cultivate individual expression as emerging musicians.
Read more at bbc.com

2025-09-03

The Art of Transcriptions

This week this podcaster examined Elgar’s choral work Ave Verum Corpus, an exquisite Eucharistic setting. After completing its transcription and recording, the piece offered an effective framework for considering the principles, challenges, and aesthetic significance of piano transcription.
Read more at poddtoppen.se

2025-09-02

Horowitz - The Myth

Vladimir Horowitz, the eccentric piano genius, dazzled audiences with unmatched virtuosity, flair, and charisma. Hailed as the greatest pianist ever, his legacy shone despite lifelong struggles with nerves, breakdowns, and the immense pressures of expectation.
Read more at classical-music.com

2025-09-01

The Brave Dutch Pianist

Henriëtte Bosmans’s life was remarkable, but 1944 Amsterdam revealed her courage: her 83-year-old Jewish mother, Sara, was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Westerbork, leaving her fate uncertain amid the horrors of Nazi-occupied Holland.
Read more at classical-music.com

2025-08-31

Ravel in San Francisco 1928

The 8th San Francisco International Piano Festival opened Aug. 22 at Old First Church with a 1928-inspired all-Ravel program, echoing the composer’s tour. Performers revived rare genres, enhanced by flapper-style costumes evoking 1920s glamour.
Read more at sfchronicle.com

2025-08-30

Messiaen's No-limit Commission

Messiaen’s 75-minute, 10-movement Turangalîla - a Sanskrit fusion of “lîla” (divine play, love, creation) and “turanga” (time, movement, rhythm)- was described by the composer as his most melodic, colorful, dynamic, and emotionally rich work.
Read more at interlude

2025-08-29

Pianobuilder; Rare but Alive

The 2009 closure of the Kemble piano factory inspired him to open his workshop. Rejecting the idea heritage crafts belong in museums, he employs six people, collaborating with cabinet makers and fabric producers to build pianos.
Read more at bbc.com