Tag Archives: piano
When the piano “is playing” the pianist
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, … Continue reading
Being a competitive pianist
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 … Continue reading
Would Beethoven take care of his score?
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 … Continue reading
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