News Flash

2025-09-25

Italian Focus in Cremona

Cremona Musica 2025 celebrates Italian music. Artistic coordinator Roberto Prosseda says its main value lies in bringing people together - sharing meals, live performances, and personal connections that digital experiences can never fully replace.
Read more at cremonamusica.com

2025-09-24

Maria Joao Pires Awarded

Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires has won the 2025 Helena Vaz da Silva European Award for Raising Public Awareness on Cultural Heritage, recognizing her outstanding ability to convey European culture and values through music. The ceremony is November 1 in Lisbon.
Read more at europanostra.org

2025-09-23

Schumann, the Writer and Critic

In 1834, before turning twenty-four, Robert Schumann founded the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik. First issued as the Neue Leipziger Zeitschrift für Musik, it adopted its enduring title a year later, reflecting broader musical ambitions beyond Leipzig.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-09-22

Trifonov at the Shostakovich Festival

At the 2025 Leipzig Festival, under the baton of Andris Nelsons, pianist Daniil Trifonov celebrates Dmitri Shostakovich with his playful Piano Concerto No. 2.
Read more at arte.tv

2025-09-21

Liszt's Student and Secretary

Born in Greiz, Thuringia, Bernhard Stavenhagen began piano lessons at six. After moving to Berlin in 1874, he studied with Kullak and Kiel, debuting in 1880 and possibly being Liszt’s favorite pupil, accompanying him internationally and at his death.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-09-20

From Comiso to Warsaw

Ruben Micieli, born in 1997 in Comiso, values authenticity over talent alone. A pianist, composer, and conductor, he’s set to perform at Cremona Musica 2025 and compete in the Fryderyk Chopin Competition, showcasing his mature, sincere artistry.
Read more at cremonamusica.com

2025-09-19

Things to Know About Clara

Clara Schumann, trained rigorously by her demanding father, rose as one of Europe’s finest pianists. Over six decades, she championed Robert’s compositions in performance, shaping Romantic repertoire and strategically ensuring his lasting place in music history.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-09-19

The Chopin Competition Approaching 100

In 1924, Poland debuted at the Olympics, just six years after regaining independence. Despite winning only four medals, the team sparked national passion for sport - an inspiration observed by Jerzy Zurawlew amid waning appreciation for Chopin’s romanticism.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-09-18

Anna Geniushene on the Line

Anna Geniushene’s latest album features early Op. 1 works by various composers. She discusses her passion for storytelling, competition successes, and staying authentic. Her natural musicianship shines through her recordings and YouTube performances, reflecting her Moscow and London training.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

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