News Flash

2024-11-14

Piano maker Edelweiss

Despite years of piano expertise, Edelweiss lacked in-house design skills. They hired Delwin Fandrich, a renowned American designer, to create plans for a miniature grand piano, aiming for the world's smallest.
Read more at ft.com

2024-11-13

Sakamoto's Opus Grammy Nominee

Late Japanese music legend Ryuichi Sakamoto's final solo piano work "Opus" is on the 2025 Grammy nominations list.
Read more at yomiuri.co.jp

2024-11-12

The Synaesthetic Pianist

Synaesthesia, a unique sensory experience, can influence artistic expression. Sound-color synaesthesia, one of its many forms, has inspired composers like Ligeti and Scriabin. They used this neurological phenomenon to associate specific colors with musical keys and chords, adding a vibrant dimension to their compositions.
Read more at classical-music.com

2024-11-11

Fujita at Carnegie Hall

Fujita's Sunday afternoon recital in Carnegie Hall invited contemplation: Could the culture of haiku, tea ceremonies, and Takemitsu offer a new lens through which to view the European canon?
Read more at newyorkclassicalreview.com

2024-11-10

Free Pianos Everywhere

A piano pandemic: the internet is flooded with free pianos. But beware, potential pianists! These instruments are not for the faint of heart or back.
Read more at timesunion.com

2024-11-09

Watch the 12th Hamamatsu Piano Competition Live

The 2024 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition is live-streamed on YouTube and yhe Gramophone website. This triennial event, held in Hamamatsu, Japan, is open to pianists under 30.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2024-11-08

The Ever Popular Rach 2

In 1900, a deeply troubled Sergei Rachmaninov began composing his monumental Piano Concerto No. 2. Criticized harshly for his First Symphony, he sought help from Nikolai Dahl. Dedicated to his therapist, the concerto is a testament to the power of healing and the triumph of the human spirit.
Read more at classicfm.com

2024-11-07

Not-So-Known for Piano Duet

Dutch pianist brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen have been inseparable musical collaborators since childhood.This month, they release recordings of "tiny diamonds" - short waltzes and lullabies inspired by and sometimes defying late 19th and early 20th-century French Impressionism.
Read more at npr.org

2024-11-05

War Steinways

In late 1941, Steinway & Sons received a request from the U.S. government to build heavy-duty pianos for the military. With four sons and several nephews serving, President Theodore E. Steinway recognized music's power to uplift troops. By June 1942, the first prototypes were ready for inspection. When the war ended, Steinway had shipped over 5,000 pianos.
Read more at steinway.com

2024-11-04

Yuja + Vikingur = True

Piano powerhouses Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson join forces for a dazzling concert tour. They traverse a wide-ranging program, from Schubert's intimate Fantasia to the impossible complexities of Nancarrow's Studies, arranged by Adès. Their journey also include works by Adams, Berio, and Cage. They conclude with Rachmaninov's epic Symphonic Dances, adapted for two pianos.
Read more at ft.com

2024-11-03

Denk's Ives Album

Renowned for his interpretations of Ives' challenging music, pianist Jeremy Denk highlights the composer's four violin sonatas. The album also features remastered versions of Ives' Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 from Denk's acclaimed 2010 debut.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2024-11-02

Paderewski in Paso Robles

World-renowned pianist and composer Ignacy Paderewski sought relief from neuritis in Paso Robles, California. Drawn to the town's therapeutic sulfur hot springs, he discovered a sanctuary where he could heal and escape the demands of his musical and political career for the next 25 years.
Read more at pasoroblespress.com

2024-11-01

Kantorow on His New Album

Alexandre Kantorow, the 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition piano winner and Grand Prix recipient, is one of the world's finest young pianists. He has recorded a series of acclaimed albums for BIS, including the recently released Gramophone Editor's Choice: the three youthful piano sonatas by Brahms, Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy, and a selection of Schubert/Liszt songs.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

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/