News Flash

2026-01-30

Prepared Pianos

In late-1930s Seattle, John Cage solved a space problem by placing objects between piano strings while accompanying dance. Necessity and curiosity produced Bacchanale and introduced the prepared piano as a new percussion instrument.
Read more at bandcamp.com

2026-01-29

Sergei and Vladimir

Rooted in Russian Romanticism, Rachmaninoff’s music blends melancholy, drama, and longing. Horowitz shared this cultural and emotional language, bringing instinctive insight to his interpretations, capturing the same brooding intensity and lyrical depth.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-01-26

Kashpurin Wins Liszt Utrecht

Victory went to the charismatic Alexander Kashpurin, a late replacement who also claimed the Audience Prize. Thomas Kelly’s refined musicianship earned second place. Both impressed deeply - proof once again that piano competitions defy prediction.
Read more at international-piano.com

2026-01-24

The Paganini Rhapsody with Rana

The Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly present a programme devoted to Rachmaninoff, featuring Beatrice Rana in the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The evening also includes the First Symphony and the early tone poem The Rock.
Read more at arte.tv

2026-01-23

Many Pianos for Many Pianists

Over twenty pianists animate stages and foyers, shifting between solo recitals, narrated concerts, films with live music, and multi-piano ensembles. Piano Days reframes the piano as a collective, living instrument rather than a solitary voice.
Read more at tovima.com

2026-01-23

Clementi - Influence Beyond Dispute

Clementi grasped the piano’s unique expressive potential while others still treated it as a louder harpsichord. Writing for touch, colour, and physicality, his final sonatas - bright, playful, and rhythmically buoyant - reveal a composer hearing a new instrument.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-01-22

The Sport Events Pianist

Lang Lang will appear at the Opening Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, performing at San Siro alongside Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, bringing his trademark blend of classical virtuosity and modern showmanship.
Read more at olympics.com

2026-01-20

LvB 32 Progress Report

Preparing a three-year traversal of Beethoven’s complete cycle, Gilles Vonsattel said the composer still astonishes him, citing endlessly varied piano writing, relentless originality, and a fresh, addictive depth he feels anew in the 32 sonatas today.
Read more at localnewspasadena.com

2026-01-19

Big Pianistic Battles

On Christmas Eve 1781, Emperor Joseph II staged a surprise piano duel at the Viennese court, pitting Mozart against Clementi; though unprepared, both stunned audiences with brilliant, contrasting performances featuring improvisation, virtuosity, and musical legend.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-01-18

Preparing Playing Like Mozart in Amadeus

To portray Mozart authentically, Will Sharpe trained intensively with musical director Benjamin Holder, transforming his informal piano skills into classical technique. Though already musical, Sharpe had to adapt from casual playing to the discipline of a concert pianist.
Read more at classicfm.com

2026-01-17

The Visualising Piano

Not everyone perceives the world alike. Synesthesia links one sense to another, such as seeing colours when hearing music. Inspired by this phenomenon, engineer and creator He Shijie developed a “magical piano” that visualises sound as bursts of colour.
Read more at mymodernmet.com

2026-01-16

Zimerman Rules

On the 13th, 70-year-old Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman gave a solo recital at Seoul’s Lotte Concert Hall, preceded by unusually strict announcements instructing audiences on phone use and precisely regulated applause to preserve musical flow.
Read more at chosun.com

2026-01-15

Music as Life Changer

UK-based Greek-born pianist Panos Karan, founder of Keys of Change, told The National Herald about his mission to change lives through music, building youth orchestras and education programs worldwide as a vital necessity for communities.
Read more at thenationalherald.com

2026-01-14

Praised Schubert Team

Bertrand Chamayou and Leif Ove Andsnes unite for Schubert’s Fantasia in F minor, creating a landmark four-hands album, released 40 years after Lupu–Perahia’s CBS classic and 60 years after Britten–Richter’s Aldeburgh performance, historic festival collaboration
Read more at classical-music.com

2026-01-13

The Prepared Pianist

A collector drawn to post–John Cage avant-garde music, Potter was intrigued by Prepared Piano, unusual for pianist Jessica Williams, celebrated for straight-ahead jazz. Though an experimental performer, her piano-string explorations rarely appeared on record.
Read more at theguardian.com

2026-01-12

Tasmanian Pianist Spots Nature

Kelvin Smith who is on a singular mission - to play the piano in some of Tasmania's most scenic locations. For the interstate trip, he has enlisted his teenage son Hyland to help with setting up and moving the 350-kilogram piano.
Read more at abc.net.au

2026-01-11

Liszt Utrecht Live Streaming Finals

Live from Utrecht, Netherlands; the final round of the 2026 International Liszt Piano Competition will be available on January 24. Three finalists vie for €25,000 first prize, plus additional awards and festival performance fees.
Read more at theviolinchannel.com

2026-01-10

Sharing Music for Free

In 1980, pianist Dorothy Fieldman Fraiberg founded the grassroots Allegra Chamber Music, recruiting professionals from ensembles including the Orchestre Métropolitain. Serving as artistic director, she has upheld its mission: concerts making chamber music accessible to all.
Read more at montrealgazette.com

2026-01-09

Composers as Performers

Hearing a composer perform their own music is uniquely illuminating. Twentieth-century recordings capture nuances of phrasing, tempo, and colour beyond notation alone. Here are eight exceptional historical recordings of composers playing their own works.
Read more at interlude.hk

2026-01-08

Andsnes' Traumatic Momentum

Leif Ove Andsnes had occasional memory slips when young, but one night was hellish. Touring with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, he played Beethoven’s Fourth and Schumann, whose finale contains two nearly identical virtuoso passages.
Read more at classical-music.com

2026-01-07

An Album More than an Album

For pianist Kim Song-hyeon, making an album extends beyond sound. A pianist devoted to reading, writing, and photography, he unites these worlds in Timescape, his album, mapping a year’s emotions month by month, shaped by poet-teachers.
Read more at koreaherald.com

2026-01-06

Pianist's Anatolian Mission

Pianist and composer Dengin Ceyhan introduced Anatolia’s musical heritage to global audiences with Echoes of Anatolia, blending traditional melodies with contemporary piano across 10 concerts in nine countries on three continents.
Read more at turkiyetoday.com

2026-01-05

ABRSM Syllabus Reviewed

The ABRSM Piano Syllabus always seems to arrive sooner than expected. This latest edition was quietly launched, focusing mainly on an updated repertoire. ABRSM emphasizes its ‘wide-ranging repertoire’ without announcing major changes or bold updates.
Read more at davidbartonmusic.co.uk

2026-01-04

Limucci Piano Design

This grand piano features a sleek, supercar-inspired design and a 20” touchscreen interface. Merging cutting-edge technology with luxury aesthetics, it offers musicians an innovative experience that redefines the traditional piano for modern performance spaces.
Read more at yankodesign.com