News Flash

2025-09-05

Immersed in Mozart

Mitsuko Uchida, celebrated for nuanced Mozart interpretations, offers listeners profound insight into his works. With acclaimed concerto and sonata recordings, her Viennese training and cosmopolitan artistry unite technical mastery with deep sensitivity to Mozart’s expressive and emotional world.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-09-05

Bruno Monsaingeon in Cremona

At 81, Parisian director, writer, and violinist Bruno Monsaingeon continues to celebrate musical legends through his acclaimed documentaries. This year, he brings his expert eye to the jury of the PianoLink International Amateurs Competition at Cremona Musica 2025.
Read more at /cremonamusica.com

2025-09-04

Yuja's London Masterclass

Yuja Wang, world-renowned for virtuosity, charisma, and interpretive depth, conducts a masterclass with Royal College of Music students, imparting insights to inspire their artistic growth, refine technique, and cultivate individual expression as emerging musicians.
Read more at bbc.com

2025-09-03

The Art of Transcriptions

This week this podcaster examined Elgar’s choral work Ave Verum Corpus, an exquisite Eucharistic setting. After completing its transcription and recording, the piece offered an effective framework for considering the principles, challenges, and aesthetic significance of piano transcription.
Read more at poddtoppen.se

2025-09-02

Horowitz - The Myth

Vladimir Horowitz, the eccentric piano genius, dazzled audiences with unmatched virtuosity, flair, and charisma. Hailed as the greatest pianist ever, his legacy shone despite lifelong struggles with nerves, breakdowns, and the immense pressures of expectation.
Read more at classical-music.com

2025-09-01

The Brave Dutch Pianist

Henriëtte Bosmans’s life was remarkable, but 1944 Amsterdam revealed her courage: her 83-year-old Jewish mother, Sara, was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Westerbork, leaving her fate uncertain amid the horrors of Nazi-occupied Holland.
Read more at classical-music.com

2025-08-31

Ravel in San Francisco 1928

The 8th San Francisco International Piano Festival opened Aug. 22 at Old First Church with a 1928-inspired all-Ravel program, echoing the composer’s tour. Performers revived rare genres, enhanced by flapper-style costumes evoking 1920s glamour.
Read more at sfchronicle.com

2025-08-30

Messiaen's No-limit Commission

Messiaen’s 75-minute, 10-movement Turangalîla - a Sanskrit fusion of “lîla” (divine play, love, creation) and “turanga” (time, movement, rhythm)- was described by the composer as his most melodic, colorful, dynamic, and emotionally rich work.
Read more at interlude

2025-08-29

Pianobuilder; Rare but Alive

The 2009 closure of the Kemble piano factory inspired him to open his workshop. Rejecting the idea heritage crafts belong in museums, he employs six people, collaborating with cabinet makers and fabric producers to build pianos.
Read more at bbc.com

2025-08-28

Fifty Years on Stage!

After two decades, pianist Yefim Bronfman returns to Korea for a solo recital at Seoul’s Lotte Concert Hall on Sept. 21, following his 2023 Royal Concertgebouw collaboration. The 67-year-old virtuoso promises an unforgettable evening.
Read more at koreaherald.com

2025-08-27

A Chat with Gavrylyuk

"What’s the most common misconception about what you do?" Hear acclaimed pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk answer questions about his profession and musical path.
Read more at artshub.com.au

2025-08-26

Father and Son and Brahms

First aired 24 May 2024, Arte Concert’s Jean-Jacques and Alexandre Kantorow interpret Brahms highlights a rare father-son collaboration: Jean-Jacques conducting Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 2, then collaborating with Alexandre in Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-08-24

Young Schubert Master

At Shalin Liu, Jonathan Biss revealed Schubert’s harmonies with crystalline clarity. His baritone-like left hand and pearly right hand shaped storm and tenderness alike; each phrase breathed meaning, holding the audience utterly entranced in spellbound silence.
Read more at artsfuse.org

2025-08-23

A Firm One-handed Grip

McCarthy literally follows Wittgenstein’s path: though two-handed pianists often played Ravel’s Left-Hand Concerto at the Proms, he’s only the second one-handed performer - after Wittgenstein in 1932 and 1951 - to do so, marking Proms history.
Read more at scroll.in

2025-08-22

Horowitz’s Teacher

From a strikingly musical family, Felix Blumenfeld learned piano from his brother, while siblings pursued music, his father taught music and French, his cousin was Karol Szymanowski, and his nephew Heinrich Neuhaus guided iconic pianists like Richter and Gilels.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-08-21

Korean Piano Stars

Lim’s fame reminds Paik of her own, following major competition successes from 1989–1994. As Korea’s first female pianist in the spotlight, she sold out recitals, recorded CDs, taught at Seoul National University, and now co-chairs NEC’s piano department.
Read more at koreatimes.co.kr

2025-08-20

Starting Today: Chopin and His Europe 2025

The 21st “Chopin and His Europe” festival runs 20 August–6 September, presenting 29 concerts. Audiences will hear renowned soloists, orchestras, and chamber ensembles, alongside emerging performers, with programs blending celebrated masterpieces and rediscovered gems worthy of preservation from obscurity.
Read more at polskieradio.pl

2025-08-19

Chopin Through The Nocturne Lens

Chopin refined ideas through performance and teaching, leaving traces in manuscripts, first editions, and students’ versions. Early recordings by Mikuli’s and Mathias’s pupils reveal phrasing, rubato, and tone, offering historical insight equally vital as written notes.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-08-18

The Cliburn Winner's Works

After the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 29-year-old Aristo Sham said he aimed to present his best self during performances, focusing solely on his own playing and what he could control, ignoring external factors.
Read more at tpr.org

2025-08-17

A Natural Concerto Step

Rumi Kang, is composing a piano concerto under Professor Hu’s guidance. Though unlikely to finish this summer, it may become his senior project, requiring handwritten drafts, visible revisions, and patience with the demanding creative process.
Read more at denison.edu

2025-08-16

The Do Good Recitalist

Ryan Hull, a third-year McGill student, has spent the summer cycling across Quebec and performing classical piano concerts to raise funds and awareness for rare “orphan” diseases, which affect too few people to attract significant treatment development.
Read more at mcgill.ca

2025-08-15

Oscar Peterson at 100

Born in Montreal on Aug. 15, 1925, Oscar Peterson began recording in Canada two decades later, choosing a swinging, bluesy piano style over bebop trends, drawing from Nat Cole’s trio while big band swing waned and modern jazz emerged
Read more at wrti.org

2025-08-14

The Very Popular Mr. Tiersen

Yann Tiersen's eclectic style blends classical, folk, pop, and ambient elements. His breakthrough came with the whimsical soundtrack for the 2001 film "Amélie", which earned him international acclaim and introduced his delicate piano melodies to a wider audience.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-08-12

Mehldau Covers

Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau's new album, *Ride Into The Sun*, is a tribute to Elliott Smith. The LP features 10 of Smith's songs, plus a few originals and covers of tracks by other artists.
Read more at stereogum.com