Catégorie : Piano
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Alfred Brendel, a portrait
When we talk about a pianist who plays in a truly « pure » way, in the sense that nothing is altered, in other words, nothing is superfluous and everything serves the music, I think of Alfred Brendel. Born on 5 January 1931, Alfred Brendel left us on 17 June. He was universally respected for his interpretations,…
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Brillant Classics gives a vibrant tribute to the art of Sergio Fiorentino
‘He is the only other pianist’, said Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. This April 2025, Brillant Classics is devoting an extremely exhaustive edition – 26 CDs – to the legacy of one of the greatest Italian pianists of the twentieth century. Having devoted most of his career to teaching, Sergio Fiorentino (1927-1998) was recorded mainly at the…
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Yunchan Lim at the Philharmonie de Paris, the committed ascent of the Goldberg Variations
When Yunchan Lim walks through the backstage door, he strides towards the piano, surrounded by a bluish halo. Waiting for the audience to fall completely silent, the young prodigy enters into the intimacy of …round and velvety-smooth blend… composed by his compatriot Hanurij Lee. The balance is perfect, the bass extremely powerful, everything resonates in…
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50 versions of Schumann’s Fantasy
Schumann’s Fantasy is a work truly apart in the composer’s oeuvre. It is perhaps the least illustrative and the least programmatic of the composer’s works, but the most contemplative as well as the most passionate. Composed in two distinct phases – first the first movement, to be played with intensity and passion, composed for Clara,…
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Blind listening to Brahms’ first Piano Concerto
When preparing a blind listening session, there is always the question of which versions to choose. In the case of Brahms’s First Piano Concerto, there is no shortage of versions. I have chosen not to select the really old versions, recorded on 78 rpm. It’s not that they don’t have a place in the selection…
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Chopin by Guiomar Novaes
Guiomar Novaes (1895-1972) was an incarnation of the most absolute Romantic pianism, between possession and tenderness, caught up in emotional tensions that were at once incandescent and uncertain, at once fragile and determined. While Novaes’ discographic legacy is – unfairly and far too meagre – it remains an important sum devoted to the music of…
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The art of Clara Haskil
Clara Haskil is an artist who is not to be missed. She is one of those personalities who have left their mark on the history of performance and who have had a considerable impact on the pianists who have followed them. Haskil was a highly inspired pianist from an early age: as a child prodigy…
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Arrau speaks
Claudio Arrau, photography by Allan Warren Between May 1980 and July 1981, Arrau gave a series of interviews to Joseph Horowitz, who published the collection in 1982. In them, Claudio Arrau talks about his practice of the instrument, his ideas about music and interpretation, and his own experience of the great historical movements of the…
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The art of Samuil Feinberg
Samuil Feinberg was an embodiment of the accuracy and intelligibility of the text. But even beyond the formal perfection, admittedly quite absolute, of his interpretations, the spirituality that emanated from them gave his readings of the great works of the repertoire an unheard-of depth. Feinberg was, like Artur Schnabel, both an important, if long forgotten,…
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Alfred Cortot commenting Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata
On 13th January 1958 and 4th June 1959, Alfred Cortot recorded this commentary on Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata, Op.27 No.2. In the order of the article, the French transcription is presented, followed by the English translation. The Masterclass with the commentary in French Original version / Transcription originale en français Sonate Quasia una fantasia, Opus 27…
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