News Flash

2024-10-31

Wang Art-defines the Recital

Many creatives are multi-talented, crossing artistic boundaries. Consider Arnold Schoenberg, a serious painter and an even more serious composer, whose 150th birthday we celebrated in September. The Wang-Hockney collaboration offers another example, where a virtuoso musician and a visual artist inspire each other's work.
Read more at theguardian.com

2024-10-30

Take the Piano Quiz!

Did you know there's a piano with more than 88 keys? Take our quiz to discover more fascinating facts about this beloved instrument. From movie pianos to particle physics, you'll be surprised at what you learn!
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-10-29

Louie Talks Bach

J. S. Bach, despite his current fame, faced challenges in his time. He competed with other organists and composers in Germany and, as a working musician, composed extensively to survive. Publishing was costly, and he lacked wealthy patrons, unlike some of his contemporaries.
Read more at ludwig-van.com

2024-10-28

Piano Festival Behind the Scenes

No art form is complete without a blend of genres. The recent Brillante Piano Festival in Bengaluru showcased this beautifully, uniting pianists from around the world to perform classical, jazz, pop, and other musical styles, bridging artistic differences with a shared love of music.
Read more at thehindu.com

2024-10-27

Piano Festival in Prague

From November 2nd to 9th, the Dvořák Hall at Prague’s Rudolfinum will host the 12th edition of the prestigious Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival. This year’s program highlights Czech compositions alongside masterpieces by Claude Debussy, performed by world-renowned pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.
Read more at praguemorning.cz

2024-10-26

Denk's Ives Celebration

Though Charles Ives (1874-1954) couldn’t physically celebrate his 150th birthday, his spirit was present through the masterful performance of pianist Jeremy Denk. The highly regarded musician and Ives enthusiast, fresh from publishing an essay on the controversial composer in the New York Times and releasing a new album of his works, concluded the Portland Conservatory of Music’s three-day "Piano Palooza" with a fitting tribute.
Read more at pressherald.com

2024-10-25

Avdeeva in Carnegie Hall

Pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, the 2010 Chopin Competition winner, showcased her mastery at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall. Her program, featuring a breadth of Chopin's works, culminated in Liszt's monumental B Minor Sonata, preceded by lesser-known pieces from the composer's later years.
Read more at blogcritics.org

2024-10-24

Trifonov's US Story

The album "My American Story" offers a personal glimpse into Daniil Trifonov's musical journey. Divided into "North" and "South," the album explores his experiences in the Americas. The first part, "North," focuses on his time in the United States and features deeply personal pieces. Trifonov plans to release the second part, "South," dedicated to Latin America, in the future.
Read more at qobuz.com/

2024-10-23

"The Other" Piano & Orchestra Works

Franz Liszt's two piano concertos are staples of the concerto repertoire. A third concerto, previously unknown, was discovered and assembled by Jay Rosenblatt in 1989. While initially believed to be an early draft of the first concerto, the third concerto's existence was unknown as Liszt never mentioned it. It premiered in 1990 but remains relatively obscure.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-10-22

Olejniczak Dies

Polish pianist and teacher Janusz Olejniczak, known for his role in the 2002 film "The Pianist," has passed away at 72. His exceptional musical sensitivity, particularly in Chopin's interpretations, earned him international acclaim.
Read more at theguardian.com

2024-10-21

Zimerman Honored

Renowned Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Music Academy in Łódź. The Academy's Senate praised Zimerman as a world-class pianist, a champion of Polish music, and a philanthropist. Pianist Piotr Paleczny described Zimerman as a "national treasure" for Polish music.
Read more at polskieradio.pl/

2024-10-20

Pianist is BBC Young Musician 2024

Seventeen-year-old Canadian pianist Ryan Wang, a student at Eton College, has won BBC Young Musician 2024. Wang, who began playing piano at four and performed his first solo recital at Carnegie Hall at five, recently earned an Artist Diploma at the École Normale de Musique de Paris.
Read more at bbc.co.uk

2024-10-19

Pianist on Mental Health

Pianist Pallavi Mahidhara is the Executive Producer, Writer, and Host of "The Conscious Artist," a podcast dedicated to mental health awareness for performing artists. She is also the Second Prize winner and Young Audience Award winner of the 69th Geneva International Piano Competition and the VI International Prokofiev Competition.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2024-10-18

Japanese Jazz Honors

The Preservation Hall Foundation will honor Japanese pianist Mari Watanabe with a Legacy Award for her significant contributions to jazz heritage and the New Orleans community. Watanabe, a Tokyo native who moved to New Orleans in 1985, will be the first Japanese recipient of this prestigious award.
Read more at nippon.com

2024-10-18

Chochieva Talks Prokofiev

Russian pianist Zlata Chochieva bravely tackles Prokofiev's demanding Second Piano Concerto. In this nearly 30-minute work, the pianist rarely rests. Despite its technical challenges, the concerto's popularity has grown in recent years, with numerous recordings available.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2024-10-17

Yuja Turns Page

Yuja Wang has signed with Askonas Holt and Opus 3 Artists for general management. She will be represented by Ruby Robinson, Donagh Collins, and Phillippa Cole.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com/

2024-10-16

Interview with Yulianna Avdeeva

Yulianna Avdeeva recently released her album "Chopin: Voyage". This month, she performs Bernstein with the Minnesota Orchestra and Chopin and Liszt at Carnegie Hall. In this interview, Avdeeva discusses the challenges of her career, playing Horowitz's piano, and finding inspiration in even the most unexpected places.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-10-15

A Piano Tuner Talk

Many believe they can tune pianos themselves, often purchasing low-quality tuning levers online. While higher-quality levers offer versatility, tuning requires skill and extensive practice. Digital instruments and electronic music are gaining popularity, but according to Chris Steedman, they lack the authentic sound and feel of traditional pianos.
Read more at brignews.com

2024-10-15

Hamelin on the Hammerklavier

Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" sonata is his longest piano sonata and, in his opinion, his finest. He began composing it in or around December 1817, following a year-long creative hiatus caused by a previous illness.
Read more at pianistmagazine.com

2024-10-15

The Jury of the 19th Chopin Competition

The jury for this year's Chopin Competition will consist of renowned Chopin specialists, including former winners, teachers, and experts on Chopin's life and work. Garrick Ohlsson, the first non-Polish Jury Chairman in the competition's history, will preside over the 19th edition.
Read more at nifc.pl

2024-10-14

Shostakovich at the Piano

A video has surfaced online featuring the renowned composer Dmitri Shostakovich playing the piano. Shared on Instagram, citing musicologist Peter Laul, the video shows Shostakovich performing a remarkably fast and agile rendition of his own piano arrangement of the opening of the third act of his 1932 opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
Read more at classicfm.com

2024-10-13

What About Levit on Brahms?

Sony Classical has released a new three-CD set featuring Johannes Brahms' music, performed by pianist Igor Levit and the Wiener Philharmoniker under Christian Thielemann. The recordings, particularly of the piano concertos, exhibit a remarkably warm, almost vinyl-like quality, partly due to the acoustics of the Vienna Musikverein.
Read more at blogcritics.org

2024-10-12

Neutral Flag in Warsaw 2025

The organizers of the the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, have announced that Russian pianists will only be eligible to participate in the 2025 edition if they compete under a neutral flag and publicly denounce Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2024-10-11

The Pianist with 50 Fingers

Following the success of the Divas & Icons exhibition, a new temporary exhibition will open at the House of Music Hungary in January 2025. In the meantime, a free pop-up exhibition honoring renowned pianist Gyorgy Cziffra will debut in the foyer of the institution in ear
Read more at hungarytoday.hu