Mozart called it the king of the instruments, Schumann recommended to learn to play it to achieve more understanding about the power of music, most of the great composers played and wrote works for it. What makes the organ being so extremely apart of all other musical instruments and containing at the same time the power of expression of all these together?
At this point we could not fail to mention the great master Johann Sebastian Bach, who plays the leading role in the music history as an organist of unlimited abilities and as a supreme composer of works for all styles and musical forms. Bach set the fundament of harmonic, chromatic and highly developed contrapuntal structure in all kind of composition. Bach’s prolific attitude toward a great artistic expression led him to improve existing musical forms, creating an innovative way of composing through unfatiguing exploration of original patterns and models. [...]

He was one of the most inspiring pianists of the twentieth century. His remarkable personality as a unique artist was perfectly reflected in all his compositions. Sergei Rachmaninoff charcterized the last Romantic piano tradition with his charming, lyric and expressive playing and creative interpretations.
A virtuoso technique, rhythmic precision, colorful tone, polyphonic clarity of inner voices, incomparable sense of lyricism, accurate interpretation of different musical styles, force of expression through every detail of a composition: Rachmaninoff was in absolute possession of all these peculiar “instruments” for his performing.
The great charisma of this pianist came through especially when he played his own works. Due to his personal composing style, which was first influenced by Tschaikovsky, he further developed a contrapuntal writing and a distinguished variety in the chromatic harmonic structure, both deriving from Bach and Chopin.
He certainly dedicated a profound study, work and way of musical thinking from those great composers, becoming [...]

Be aware of getting a good piano for your practicing or performances. Otherwise you will be not playing the piano but the piano will be playing you! One of the essential requirements pianists should take care for is their instrument, both for practicing and performing. The well-regulated action of the piano is as important as a perfectly tuned car for a driver of Formula 1. Pianists happen to be often facing some problems with the instrument, particularly regarding the action, which can reveal unevennesses in the technical adjustment of the keyboard in relation to the other workpieces.
It is essential to recognize that the piano action is like the anatomy of the instrument, as arm, wrist, hand and fingers are the anatomy of a pianist. Both mechanisms are based on the leverage principle. Knowing how the action works on this system means understanding our own anatomy by playing.
A well-regulated action has [...]

Competitions, competitions, competitions.
Almost every piano student has tried to participate at least in one piano competition during his music education.
A motivating piano teacher is mostly the first impulse to prepare a specific program of different piano works to perform in front of a jury. The more “pressure” the student is receiving from his teacher, the more he will get his adrenalin pumping for the competition. In other words preparing the program for a high-level performance will create the strong feeling of being compared with other competitors’ playing.
Setting those goals as “I want to be the best pianist” truly chracterizes the striving for a perfect performance to show the achieved abilities on the piano. It happens very often in piano competitions that not the best prepared pianist is the winner, but the one who wants to be the winner. The pianist who is able to reflect his strong winning desire through [...]

It has been said that the best teacher always recognizes when his pupil is ready to learn something new.
In other words a really good teacher can be as good as his pupil is able to understand and to apply new knowledge upon particular topics related to the learning process.
As usual students are tending to model his master, whithout thinking about the quintessential purpose of those teaching methods.
But how long does it take to step further from the level of simple modeling to the consciousness of active learning and finally reaching at least the same level of the master? When are students ready to develop theirselves and become masters of their own, last but not least to even try to pursue the path which the master has shown?
Individuality, a strong personality, the power of determination are actually the main requisites to reach mastership.
Doubtless we are speaking here about a work-in-progress, during [...]

Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas represent the ultimate milestone for a pianist. Everybody knows that. Yet there are plenty of different point of views about the right interpretation of this musical testament. Since great pianists began in the nineteenth century to perform Beethoven sonatas as Hans von Bülow, Anton Rubinstein, Artur Schabel, Ferruccio Busoni, just to mention few important names, a tradition about the art of interpretation was born.
Exactly spoken two main streams of performance have been created since then: those who play with extreme fidelity to the written score and those who prefer to let play the spirit of the composer through his work.
For example Anton Rubinstein was known for his fervid playing, his purpose of deliberate piano virtuosity went beyond the score, creating a unique atmosphere for his audience. Rubinstein seemed to directly communicate with the composer while playing, establishing the connection as a re-creator of the composition and [...]

Textual fidelity, accurate reading of the score, focussed analyzing of the notes, meticulous reproduction of the dynamic indications, objective reconstruction of the composition, parsimonious use of the pedal, keen performance…we can go on. This could be the description of the way of interpretation offered by most pianists today in matter of Beethoven piano sonatas.
“Beethoven wrote everything in the score!” – some insiders would certainly affirm that. And it is true.
But most pianists seem to forget, or at least, to let expression completely aside when playing Beethoven.
The musical power of communicating was the real language that Beethoven consequently used to express all thinkable human emotions. From anger to serenity, from sadness to happiness, from pain to freedom, from resignation to joy. Each Beethoven sonata is a reflection of his spirit at that particular time of the Opus number and year thereof. When a pianist is playing his sonatas, then he is [...]

A terrific singing piano tone, a sublime technique, always serving the purpose of the musical message, and a perfect seducing interpretation.
Alexander Isaakovic Cherkassky, known as Shura Cherkassky, was one of the leading personalities among the generation of great pianists of the 20th century. He started his early piano education with his mother Lydia. Later on he became pupil of Jozéf Hofmann.
His concert career lasted through his long life, in fact he was actively performing until his death 1995.
What made his approach to the piano that singular?
He was able to focus on the keys with astonishing concentrating power, his interpretations were full of inventive musical atmosphere, he always created inspiring piano recitals for the audience.
Shura never played the same piece the same way. Spontaneity and freshness characterized his playing, the purpose of creating the music in every single moment drove this excellent artist to the highest level of musicianship.
One of the [...]

This week our cover story is dedicated to a wonderful pianist, who actually was more a fantastic entertainer: Danish pianist, conductor and comedian Victor Borge.
His funny point about famous piano pieces and telling several music jokes have been characterizing his performances.
It is interesting to notice that Victor Borge enjoyed the best music education when he was a child, his teachers were Liszt´s student Frederic Lamond and Busoni´s pupil Egon Petri.
But he discovered quite early that he didn´t really like the serious concert business, so he rather took the more funny path of a music career.
As he said, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”.
If you look at his videos, you will certainly not be able to contain your laughter…Victor Borge was right!
In music it´s often about fun…

Next year 2010 two great romantic composers share the celebration of their year of birth, obviously 200 years later.
Robert Alexander Schumann ( June 8th, 1810 ) and Frédéric François Chopin ( March 1st, 1810 ) marked the Romanticism in its musical and mostly piano tradition for a couple of decades in the middle of the 19th century.
Both defined a very personal style of musical expression.
Schumann’s art of composing was focused on the strong character of German cultural influence “Sturm und Drang”, perpetuating Beethoven’s message of a universal impact of music. Due to his early education, Schumann further developed a more personal style between literary ideas and musical representation. This can be heard in his pieces Papillons Op.2 and mostly in the Carnaval Op.9.
Pianists have generally a problem by interpreting Schumann, especially when they have to follow the indications of Tempi in his piano works. Schumann also characterized his state [...]