News Flash

2024-02-25

Liszt's Big Innovative Leap

The Fantasia on Hungarian Folk Melodies for piano and orchestra, builds upon Liszt's previous solo piano works, elevating them to new heights. Improvisations are juxtaposed against a lively orchestral accompaniment, creating new dynamics and contrasts.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-02-24

Lim's Album Debut

Pianist Lim Yunchan, the youngest ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will be releasing his debut album "Chopin Etudes" under the Decca Classics record label on April 19.
Read more at pianistmagazine.com

2024-02-23

Pianist and Influencer

While videos showcasing a day in the life of a musician at a conservatory are now common online, Tiffany Poon was ahead of the trend when she started creating them in 2017 as a senior in the Columbia-Juilliard Program.
Read more at sfcv.org

2024-02-22

New Piano Concertos!

London presented performances of Dessner's lively concerto, blending elements of rock and Reich. Meanwhile the world premiere of Coll's sparkling, flamenco-inspired concerto took place.
Read more at theguardian.com

2024-02-21

What About Black Modernism?

In 1939, over 150 years after the Declaration of Independence, Leonard Bernstein explored the idea of creating a new American national style of classical music that adheres to societal norms and reflects the country's unique identity.
Read more at van-magazine.com

2024-02-20

From Piano to Organ Stardom

Anna Lapwood, acclaimed organist, conductor, and TikTok sensation, is the Director of Music at Pembroke College in Cambridge. An Associate Artist at the Royal Albert Hall and BBC Singers, she was named "Gamechanger" in 2023 and signed with SONY Classical.
Read more at classical-music.com

2024-02-20

Manny Plays His MAX Concerto

Swedish composer Anders Hillborg has composed a new piano concerto. Listen to "The Max Concerto", as of January 11, 2024, written for and dedicated to the American pianist Emanuel Ax.
Read more at konserthuset.se

2024-02-19

"Crescendo" - The Movie

The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition highlights the extraordinary musical abilities of top pianists from around the world, revealing their untold stories of perseverance, dedication, and triumph that drive them to exceed all expectations.
Read more at variety.com

2024-02-18

Pianist and Tutor Cheung

Dr. Jimmy Cheung is a pianist and educator originally from Hong Kong and now based in the US. Starting piano competitions at age 9, he discusses his competition experiences, diverse educational background, and dedication to mentoring young pianists.
Read more at interlude.hk

2024-02-17

Clyne's Piano Concerto for Denk

Anna Clyne's piano concerto is premiered by pianist Jeremy Denk and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The work draws inspiration from ATLAS, a four-volume publication documenting German painter Gerhard Richter's works since 1962.
Read more at broadwayworld.com

2024-02-16

Finding New Piano Sounds

Pianist and composer Andrea Manzoni teamed up with composer, producer and film director Giorgio Ferrero to create "Self-Portrait", a musical project of innovative sonic exploration on the unique sound of a vertical studio piano.
Read more at audixusa.com

2024-02-15

Music Style and Struggle

Although he has millions of fans, pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi admits to that his unique style of writing may always face resistance in the classical music world.
Read more at classical-music.com

2024-02-14

Pianists Teaming Up

As students, Kolesnikov and Tsoy began playing together, and their close bond is not only the cornerstone of their musical style but also a rarity in duet performances nowadays.
Read more at nytimes.com

2024-02-13

Four Hand Piano

Prior to the 18th century, when composers started creating music for duets played on a single piano, students and hobbyist keyboardists collaborated to assist each other by tackling technical difficulties.
Read more at classical-music.com

2024-02-12

Thinking Beyond the Piano

Pianists Chen, Lubimov and Greenberg reflect on on the piano, its limitations and their paths to new ways of musical expression.
Read more at nytimes.com

2024-02-12

Rhapsody in Blue Turns 100

Reportedly, the audience at "An Experiment in Modern Music" included Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jascha Heifetz and Leopold Stokowski. Hundreds were turned away at the concert organized by bandleader Paul Whiteman.
Read more at npr.org

2024-02-11

Chopin Winner in 8K

Samsung has teamed up with Universal Music Group to release a live performance video of pianist Seong-jin Cho in 8K UHD. The video showcases works from Cho's album, "The Handel Project", which topped the Billboard Classical Chart in 2023.
Read more at pulsenews.co.kr

2024-02-10

Pianist Ruth at 99!

As her 99th birthday approached last month, Ruth Slenczynska reflected deeply on the valuable lessons she learned from Rachmaninoff and her extraordinary career that began at the young age of 4.
Read more at washingtonpost.com

2024-02-09

Pianist's European Voyage

Ben Crushley started his musical education at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto before continuing his studies at the University de Montreal and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He has since moved to Berlin, where he currently resides.
Read more at ludwig-van.com

2024-02-08

Transcribing Rachmaninoff

Pianist Inon Barnatan has created a solo transcription of "Symphonic Dances" in which he tries "not to imitate an orchestra, but to embody it".
Read more at nytimes.com

2024-02-07

Pianist and Comedian

Sarah Hagen defies classical music stereotypes, blending piano recital with comedy sketches. Through anecdotes and pieces by Chopin, Debussy, and Liszt, she brings a light-hearted approach to the genre.
Read more at nwpb.org

2024-02-06

Less than 23% of Career Pianists are Women

Fiona Sinclair, chief executive of the Leeds International Piano Com­petition, stresses that female pianists are failing to reach the top of their profession despite an equal number of men and women now training at conservatoires.
Read more at theguardian.com

2024-02-06

Claudio Arrau, the Legend

Krause did not enjoy teaching child prodigies, but he knew that Arrau was special. As Krause wrote to a colleague in Leipzig, "In my opinion, Arrau is the greatest piano talent since Liszt".
Read more at interlude.hk