News Flash

2024-07-08

Concerto for Piano and Cobla!

The cobla is a traditional Catalan music ensemble found in both Catalonia and Northern Catalonia, France. Primarily, it serves as an accompaniment for the sardana, a customary Catalan folk dance performed in a circular formation.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-07-07

YouTube Pianist Incites

Cole Lam, a 17-year-old YouTuber whose piano covers of classic hit songs have won him a million followers, has been inspiring primary school children to play a musical instrument.
Read more at bbc.com

2024-07-06

Lang Lang on AI and Music

Does the future of music belong to artificial intelligence? World-famous pianist Lang Lang explored this question during a recent interview. Seeking answers, the classical pianist turned to JEN, an AI music generator developed by Futureverse and trained on Alibaba Cloud's platform.
Read more at alizila.com/

2024-07-05

Singaporean Piano Music

Piano Extravaganza's founder Dr. Chang emphasizes the need to promote local composers, as Singaporean piano music remains relatively unexplored. With a rising number of talented pianists in Singapore possessing varied repertoires, many achieve professional success later in life without formal training.
Read more at straitstimes.com

2024-07-04

The Kung Fu Pianist

Pianist Andreas Haefliger, unable to touch his knees at the start, now greatly benefits from practicing, transforming his music approach. He now carefully considers what, when, and how to play, altering his perspective significantly.
Read more at steinway.com

2024-07-03

Unique Historical Piano Insights

In a new regular column for International Piano, the guru of historical recordings, Mark Ainley explores historic treasures both familiar and obscure, recommending new discoveries and encouraging fresh listening.
Read more at thepianofiles.com

2024-07-01

Wild's Lisztian Outlook on Porgy and Bess

In the 19th century, opera-themed Fantasies by virtuoso pianist-composers, notably Franz Liszt, gained immense popularity among concert-goers for their symphonic piano renditions emulating orchestral effects and vocal qualities.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-06-30

Pianist de Larrocha - The Composer

Alicia de Larrocha was most prolific as a composer during her late teens, a period characterized by youth and romanticism. She later became renowned for her renditions of Spanish composers.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-06-29

Beethoven's Metal Influence?

Over a year ago, scientists sequenced Beethoven's genome from his hair samples, revealing genetic links to liver disease. However, some researchers now suspect that heavy metal toxicity may have played a role in his numerous health issues, beyond what his genes suggest.
Read more at ualrpublicradio.org

2024-06-28

BBC Musician of the Year Reaches Out

Pianist Thomas Luke caught Jacob Collier's attention by arranging the musician's song "Little Blue" for multiple pianos. In just a couple of days, Thomas recorded and produced the piece, which he uploaded to YouTube. Impressed, Jacob Collier invited Thomas to meet him at his London album release concert shortly after.
Read more at onthewight.com

2024-06-27

Levit Goes Brahms

Pianist Igor Levit and conductor Thielemann's debut joint recording features the two concertos on a triple album, paired with opp. 39/15 and 116-119 solo performances. Their initial meeting was unplanned, yet both had long been curious about each other before coming together for this collaborative effort.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2024-06-26

Rachmaninoff's Soulmate

Young Moiseiwitsch's attempt to wow the renowned teacher Leschetizky with Chopin's Revolutionary etude fell flat. The master sternly advised him to practice more, citing a hundred subtle nuances he had sacrificed for showiness, and to return in two months with genuine mastery.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2024-06-25

Sorabji's Mammoth Opus

Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji's most renowned composition is Opus Clavicembalisticum (1930), a single 5-hour movement. He prohibited performances and publication from 1940 to 1976, releasing his works only in private recordings. In 1976, he allowed Michael Habermann and Yonty Solomon to perform his pieces.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2024-06-24

Comparing Argerich and Tipo in Bach

In 1986, 16-year-old pianist Nelson Goerner, fresh from Vincenzo Scaramuzza's school in Buenos Aires, sought Martha Argerich's guidance on a European teacher. She promptly recommended Maria Tipo, whom she described as a "sensational artist".
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-06-23

Chopin's Travels - Now as E-Book

Henryk F. Nowaczyk, a history enthusiast, dedicated his research to Chopin's biography, focusing on lesser-known, understudied aspects. He combed archives for source materials, meticulously reconstructing forgotten events and shedding light on enigmatic episodes through his meticulous deciphering of the composer's correspondence.
Read more at legimi.pl

2024-06-22

A Yunchan Lim Crash Course

Yunchan Lim, a prodigious South Korean pianist, was born on March 20, 2004. In 2022, he made headlines worldwide when he achieved a remarkable feat, becoming the youngest person to ever win the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition at the age of 18.
Read more at classical-music.com

2024-06-21

Abduraimov's Busy Life

As the Artist in Residence at the International Center for Music in Kansas City, Behzod Abduraimov has been busy with his duties at Park University, delivering concerts and talks. Despite his primary base in Kansas City, Behzod has traveled extensively, performing on five continents this year alone, with his concert schedule becoming increasingly packed.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-06-20

Risser's Prepared Piano

Renowned French composer and improviser Eva Rissner takes the stage solo on prepared upright piano, or with the Red Desert Orchestra, a dynamic unit that can swell to impressive size. Her affinity for prepared piano is evident, with a unique approach that sets her apart from others who explore this sonic territory.
Read more at brooklynrail.org

2024-06-19

Uchida's Zen Spirit at Ojai

The Ojai air may be intoxicating, but the Uchida effect can only be described as transcendent. Like a zen master, she effortlessly reconciles reality with her art, transforming harshness into harmony. The promised livestreams will be a testament to this extraordinary union.
Read more at latimes.com

2024-06-18

Piano Playing to New Heights

Zoltan Thurzo, a double Guinness World Record holder from Oradea, achieved a new feat on June 12, playing the piano at the highest altitude paved road in the world, Umling La Pass in India's Ladakh region, at an altitude of 5,798.51 meters.
Read more at romania-insider.com

2024-06-17

Painted Pianos Bringing People Together

From around the globe, artists, musicians, and performers converged on New York City to participate in the "Sing for Hope" initiative, a public piano program that aims to bring pianos to the masses and showcase the talents of local creatives.
Read more at cgtn.com

2024-06-16

Wild's Gershwin Transcriptions

Earl Wild's virtuosic Gershwin etudes, begun in the late 1950s, were revised in 1976 to include an additional piece. These etudes, based on popular Gershwin songs, are strictly technical studies, similar to Chopin's Etudes, which focus on highlighting specific technical challenges.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-06-14

Selected Clara Schumann

Clara Wieck was a renowned pianist of the 19th century. She enjoyed a successful touring career before and after marrying Robert Schumann, championing music by contemporaries like Chopin, Schumann and Brahms. She also taught extensively, both privately and at renowned conservatories in Leipzig and Frankfurt.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2024-06-14

Hear Yuja Wang Live at Waldbuhne

On June 22, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko bring the season to a close with Ravel's thrilling Bolero under the starry Berlin sky at the Waldbuhne. Pianist Yuja Wang performs Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto, while Ravel's Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé whisks listeners away to a mythological idyll.
Read more at digitalconcerthall.com