News Flash

2025-05-12

More Hockney and Piano

Invited by David Hockney, pianists Kolesnikov and Tsoy offered an intimate Rite of Spring performance in his vibrant studio. This deeply personal piece for Hockney, who once designed its stage, sparked a grander vision.
Read more at standard.co.uk

2025-05-11

Is Activity Progress?

The adage "Don't mistake activity for progress" highlights that busyness differs from effectiveness. This is crucial for musicians, who spend countless hours practicing. A romantic notion persists that sheer practice time guarantees perfection, a misconception held by both musicians and the public.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-05-10

Kissin Salutes Shostakovich

Evgeny Kissin, born shortly after Shostakovich's 1975 death, couldn't recall the composer's grand Moscow funeral. Yet, like all Soviet classical musicians, Kissin deeply engaged with and performed Shostakovich's works from his youth.
Read more at playbill.com

2025-05-09

Malofeev Signs with Sony

Sony Classical welcomes the acclaimed pianist Alexander Malofeev to its exclusive roster. The twenty-three-year-old Berlin resident, hailed by critics for his evocative performances, will release his debut album with the label this fall.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2025-05-08

Thoughts on Kissin

"I have been devotedly following the career of the once world-famous child prodigy pianist Evgeny Kissin for forty years. I’ve been lucky enough to have attended most of his 11 Celebrity Series appearances since 1991 and hope to never miss another."
Read more at artsfuse.org

2025-05-08

Keyboard Icon Jarrett at 80

Celebrating Keith Jarrett's 80th birthday, ECM Records released a new single from his final tour. This track previews the upcoming album, "New Vienna," recorded almost a decade ago at Vienna's historic Musikverein, a venue steeped in classical music history.
Read more at wrti.org

2025-05-07

Piano Marathon for Satie 100

On May 5th, Hong Kong hosted a 14+ hour piano marathon featuring local artists interpreting Satie, aiming for a world record of uninterrupted music honoring the innovative French composer.
Read more at thestandard.com

2025-05-06

Who Will Compete in Warsaw this Fall?

The 19th Chopin Competition's preliminary rounds in Warsaw concluded on May 4th after twelve days. From a record 642 applicants, 162 pianists from 28 nations participated, and the jury, led by Professor Piotr Paleczny, selected 66 to advance to the main competition in approximately five months.
Read more at chopincompetition.pl

2025-05-05

Aimard and 81 Pieces by Kurtag

In 1973, Hungarian composer György Kurtág started composing his piano miniatures, Játékok (Games), a series now exceeding 400 pieces for solo and four-hand piano across ten volumes, with ongoing additions.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-05-04

Alice Sara Ott on John Field

That uncanny feeling of familiarity with something new? Pianist Alice Sara Ott felt it deeply with John Field's Nocturnes. Though unstudied and new to her, the music evoked nostalgia, a sensation most associate with Chopin's later, more famous contributions to the genre, forgetting Field actually pioneered it.
Read more at lpm.org

2025-05-03

Pianist Merging Styles

Azerbaijani-Russian piano virtuoso Riad Mammadov made his Turkish debut at the refined Bayou Villas. His performance enchanted listeners with a thoughtfully chosen program blending classical, jazz, and traditional Azerbaijani melodies.
Read more at dailysabah.com

2025-05-02

Risky Music Making

Piano playing engages the whole body, a choreography potentially leading to long-term injury. UdeM researchers Turner and Verdugo deconstructed biomechanics of two professionals, relevant as 72% of pianists face musculoskeletal disorders (Frontiers in Psychology).
Read more at umontreal.ca

2025-05-01

Bruce Liu in Conversation

Chinese-Canadian pianist Bruce Liu, remembered for seven encores in Korea two years ago, returns for a Seoul recital on May 11th. He recalls the "mutual respect and love for music" from Korean audiences and hopes for another special moment.
Read more at mk.co.kr

2025-04-30

Spanish Angle Ravel

Maurice Ravel, born in Ciboure near the Spanish border in 1875, despite his Swiss paternal heritage which led to Stravinsky's "Swiss watchmaker" quip, had stronger Spanish roots through his Basque mother, who grew up in Madrid, where his parents met in Aranjuez.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-04-29

Pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko in Paris

Virtuoso Jaeden Izik-Dzurko performs Slavic Romanticism, Rachmaninov and Ravel at Fondation Louis Vuitton. The 2024 Leeds winner and Montreal prize-winner opens with Medtner's brooding sonata before Ravel's Miroirs and Rachmaninov's rarely heard D Minor Sonata.
Read more at fondationlouisvuitton.fr

2025-04-28

Spouses Duo Impresses

After 15 years of acclaimed solo careers, Lukas Geniušas and Anna Geniushene formally announce their Geniušas Duo—a rare artistic and romantic partnership. Laureates of top competitions, their debut album Hallelujah Junction marks their powerful shared vision.
Read more at theguardian.com

2025-04-27

Pianist Led by Colors

Synesthesia links music and color, a sensation pianist Pavel Kolesnikov approaches musically, despite not having it. His recital program is even curated around his lime green suit. He finds the color complex, capable of joyful, melancholic, pop, or refined interpretations, influencing his musical choices.
Read more at artsatl.org

2025-04-26

Praised Chopin Etudes

Pianist Lim Yunchan triumphed at the BBC Music Magazine Awards in London, securing recording, newcomer, and instrumental prizes for his debut album "Chopin: Etudes" (Decca Classics). This unprecedented feat marks the first time a single album has won all three categories since 2006, with the newcomer also claiming the top recording honor.
Read more at koreaherald.com

2025-04-25

Levit's 16 Unbroken Hours

Facing a 16-hour, 840-repetition performance of Satie's Vexations at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, one might expect panic from Igor Levit. Instead, the German pianist calmly arranged his score, chuckled at the undertaking, and began to play for the waiting audience.
Read more at theguardian.com

2025-04-24

Call for Piano Diversity

Leading concert grand piano manufacturers offer instruments with unique sounds and playing feels. Therefore, tailoring the piano choice to the music or performer is often more suitable than using the hall's standard option.
Read more at onlinepianoatlas.com

2025-04-23

The Levit/Abramovic Collaboration

April 24th at 10 am in London, pianist Igor Levit will begin a 16+ hour performance of Satie's Vexations. He started talking to Abramović about the piece about two years ago, and the resulting collaboration has its world premiere – and this time in front of an actual audience.
Read more at theguardian.com

2025-04-22

From Venezuela to Athens

Discussing music with Gustavo Dudamel, a full-circle moment for Venezuelan pianist Alejandro Orta, marked his US journey. Orta, an OHIO music major, first met Dudamel in Venezuela and later interviewed him for his thesis, a surreal milestone in his Kennedy Center-performing career.
Read more at ohio.edu

2025-04-21

Mixing Acoustic with Electronica

Jazz pianist Bill Anschell flipped his recording process, the artist confessed. "Unlike my raw, live previous CD, I pre-recorded piano, then added bass and drums who reacted naturally. I even tweaked my piano after their takes, creating a seamless, dynamic sound."
Read more at knkx.org

2025-04-20

Kim Conducts from the Piano

South Korean pianist-conductor Sunwook Kim, Leeds winner at 18, electrified the Barbican with Beethoven and Clyne. Now a respected soloist and Gyeonggi Philharmonic Music Director, Kim's dual artistry shone with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Read more at artshub.co.uk