News Flash

2025-03-05

Who Made it to the Warsaw Preliminaries?

From 642 applications, 171 artists from 28 nations will compete in the 19th Chopin Competition Preliminaries. China leads with 60+ participants, followed by South Korea, Japan, and Poland. Global representation includes Canada, Italy, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
Read more at polskieradio.pl

2025-03-04

A Surviving Piano's Story

Amidst Hiroshima's atomic devastation, a survivor: Akiko Kawamoto's piano. Born in Los Angeles (1926), she moved to Hiroshima with her family in 1933, bringing their piano. At 19, she perished 800 meters from the 1945 blast. Plans exist to bring her story to Hiroshima for the 80th anniversary.
Read more at nhk.or.jp

2025-03-04

Lim Takes on Goldbergs

Reserved Lim's Goldbergs defied convention. His ambitious performance, especially the initial variations, revealed a musician unbound by formula. His musical vision, though quietly expressed, was powerfully and undeniably free.
Read more at sfcv.org

2025-03-02

Collaborating Pianists on Strike!

Piano accompanists at the Paris and Lyon Conservatories have been striking since February 12, 2025, demanding fair pay and an end to a €1,650 monthly wage cap. Faculty and others support their protest against insufficient salaries.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2025-03-01

Making an Opera from a Piano Work

Enrique Granados's Goyescas, inspired by Goya, began as a 1911 piano suite. In 1915, he adapted it into a one-act opera, debuting at the Met in 1916. Originally for Paris, WWI moved it to New York, making it the Met's first Spanish opera.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-03-01

The Vikingur and Yuja Spectacle

Two-piano duos often thrive on shared vision, with pianists facing each other for connection, like siblings or spouses. Ólafsson and Wang defy this, sitting side-by-side, pianos angled apart. Their unlikely partnership, amidst contrasting styles, challenges typical duo dynamics.
Read more at latimes.com

2025-02-28

Overlooked Piano Concertos

How many overlooked piano concerto masterpieces exist? Ten leading pianists reveal their choices of undeservedly neglected concertos. Do you know the composers listed in this selection?
Read more at classical-music.com

2025-02-27

Take the Clara Schumann Quiz!

Which training method was Clara following when young, or what do you know about her being the first female to teach at the Hoch Conservatory 1878–1892? Give the Quiz a try!
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-02-26

Glass' Complete Etudes

Though solo piano music was peripheral to Philip Glass's early career, he increasingly performed his own works from the 1990s onward. To expand his repertoire and refine his skills, he composed Etudes, virtuosic pieces containing some of his most personal music.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-02-25

Pianist Under Influence

Young pianist Ishaan Leonard Rao's "Spice Route" album blends diverse influences, from Western classical music and Armenian folk to Turkish fusion and Indian classical music, reflecting his own musical heritage.
Read more at newindianexpress.com

2025-02-24

Pianist Masleev in His Dies Irae Trail

Dmitry Masleev, 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition winner, releases a new album featuring Liszt's Totentanz and Rhapsodie espagnole (arr. Petukhov) plus Rachmaninov's Rhapsody. He's accompanied by the Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra.
Read more at gramophone.co.uk

2025-02-24

The One and Only Volodos

Pianist Arcadi Volodos, known for his extraordinary technique, tonal palette, and musical insight, has reached the pinnacle of classical music. A late starter (at 16), his repertoire ranges from Schubert's lyricism to Liszt's virtuosity, and his transcriptions showcase deep musical understanding.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-02-23

Lang Lang on Carnegie Hall

Pianist Lang Lang, a global musical ambassador, returns to Carnegie Hall for the second year of his Perspectives series. He hopes this "World Cup/Olympics" of music will allow him to explore new ideas and collaborations, including duet recitals, despite scheduling challenges.
Read more at playbill.com

2025-02-22

Things to Know About Liszt

In 1840, Franz Liszt's London concerts at Hanover Square Rooms marked the birth of the piano recital. Previously called "musical soliloquies," his concerts were the first to use the term "recital," borrowed from dramatic readings.
Read more at classical-music.com

2025-02-21

Vikingur's Canadian Goldberg

Fresh from his Grammy win for his DG recording, Víkingur Ólafsson returned to Toronto. His acclaimed Goldberg Variations release, accompanied by an 88-country tour, made this replacement concert a hot ticket for those who missed his previous sold-out show. Ólafsson's Goldbergs are a 21st-century benchmark.
Read more at ludwig-van.com

2025-02-20

Hazel Scott Documentary Premieres

The PBS documentary American Masters – The Disappearance of Miss Scott (premieres Feb. 21) explores the life of the early 20th-century star. Her fierce civil rights advocacy during Jim Crow included refusing to play segregated audiences. Dr. King even noted his first desegregated show was hers.
Read more at youtu.be

2025-02-19

More Liszt Transcendencies

Liszt's autobiography recounts his meeting with Beethoven, where he impressed the composer with a Bach fugue transposition. Beethoven praised him, predicting he'd bring joy to many. Liszt called it his "proudest moment," marking the start of his remarkable career.
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-02-18

What About Hough's Piano Concerto?

Stephen Hough's 2023 release, featuring his Piano Concerto and solo suites, feels like a homecoming. He's joined by The Hallé and Sir Mark Elder in the concerto, while the solo pieces, born from pandemic-era cancellations, reflect a period of creative introspection.
Read more at ebar.com

2025-02-17

Two Concertos in One Evening

Pianist Yuja Wang anchored a San Francisco Symphony program featuring two 20th-century concertos. For most pianists, Ravel's left-hand concerto would be a full program, but for Wang, it was just the first half.
Read more at www.sfcv.org

2025-02-16

The Amazing Hazel Scott

Trinidad-born Hazel Scott, the "darling of Café Society," was a child prodigy, accepted at Juilliard at 8. By 14, she toured with female bands, mentored by Billie Holiday, Fats Waller, and Art Tatum.
Read more at wqxr.org

2025-02-15

A Final Fantasy Recital

Final Fantasy's official piano concert, Crystalline Resonance, returns to Singapore after its 2023 Esplanade debut. This multi-continent tour showcases music by composers like Uematsu, Soken, and Shimamura, spanning the series's 40-year history.
Read more at hardwarezone.com

2025-02-14

The Great Maria Tipo Dies

Pianist Maria Tipo died at 93. Born in Naples (1931), she was admired for her Scarlatti, Clementi, Bach, Chopin, and Beethoven recordings. A student of Casella and Agosti, she won the Geneva competition, impressing Rubinstein.
Read more at bachtrack.com

2025-02-13

Liszt's Transcendencies

Liszt's Etude en douze exercices evolved through several revisions. In 1837, he released Vingt-quatre grandes études (still twelve studies), dedicated to Czerny. These further transformed into his most famous work, the Etudes d’exécution transcendante, published in 1851."
Read more at interlude.hk

2025-02-12

Pianist Tsujii in Conversation

Despite being blind, Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, 2009 Van Cliburn winner, finds his greatest joy in the piano. From stage performances to recording contracts, the instrument embodies joy in his life.
Read more at koreaherald.com