Author Archives: Roberta Pili
Faithful pianists don’t cheat Beethoven!
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 … Continue reading
Shura Cherkassky – 1909-1995
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 … Continue reading
“Pardon me for sitting down while I play…”
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 … Continue reading
2010 – Schumann meets Chopin
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 … Continue reading
Adiós Alicia
One of the last great personalities of the piano history left us: Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha. I remember very well that I had the pleasure to attend one of her recitals in Vienna about 20 years ago. A little … Continue reading
Happy Birthday Glenn!
He was born on September 25, 1932. If he still lived, he would celebrate today his 77th birthday. Glenn Gould, a unique musical personality of the 20th century, one of the greatest pianists and a controversial figure, yet a remarkable … Continue reading
Sviatoslav Richter – 1915-1997
He was self-critical, self-demanding, objective in front of the music score and devoted to the audience. Sviatoslav Richter represents one of the utmost exceptional figures in the pianists´history. His teacher, Heinrich Neuhaus, considered him as a “genius pupil”. Doubtless he … Continue reading
A Remarkable Personality
Nowadays everybody knows YouTube as an enormous source of information. No matter what kind of video or just audio related documentation we need, everything can be found there….almost everything. My regular use of YouTube is concentrated on the search of … Continue reading
Private Practicing
Last week we had the opportunity to assist to a unique classical music project: the YouTube Symphony Orchestra performing at Carnegie Hall. The musicians came from several countries and have been selected through auditioning videos, which they self-posted on YouTube. … Continue reading
Beethoven and Me
My love for the composer, my passion for his music, my dedication to his piano sonatas The musical titan, his force of expression, his masculine character, his spirit, his work, his piano sonatas: all these attributes led me as an … Continue reading