Tag: Pianist
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How to be an Individual Artist: Interview with Aïda Lahlou
Aïda Lahlou discusses her album “Mirrors and Echoes,” emphasizing themes like nature and self-introspection, and advocating for individuality in classical music programming and artistry.
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Preparing for the Chopin Competition: Interview with Yuanfan Yang
We think that a lot of piano playing and this kind of competition preparation is physical, but actually so much of it is mental. How you think mentally can affect how you play or practice something.
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Richard Goode’s late Beethoven and Schumann at Wigmore Hall
What better way to break my summer hiatus from Wigmore Hall than to attend a recital by Richard Goode? The cool autumn breeze out on Wigmore Street put me in the perfect mood for late Beethoven and Schumann, and Goode delivered a masterly reading that showed just how warm and intimate the music of the…
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My First Time at a French Festival: Part Two
Day Three I was glad the Chopin Waltzes were over, but I couldn’t put my feet up totally just yet. There was still the duet recital to do. Bridget and I basically had one rehearsal—during which we were both sightreading—three months prior before we met again yesterday. She had spent the last two months in…
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My First time at a French Festival
I’m currently on the train to Paris from Montpellier, zooming across the vast landscapes of southern France, after having spent a magical three days at the beautiful village of Lunel-Viel near Montpellier, performing at the “Un Piano Sous Les Arbes” Festival. Not only was this my first time performing at a summer festival, it was…
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Enchanting Kantorow at the Proms
On Friday I finally had the chance to see Alexandre Kantorow, a pianist who is only gone on to scale higher and higher heights since his magnificent win at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition. Unfortunately, I didn’t seem to be the only one to think that, because not only were the sitting tickets sold out, the…
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Beneath the surface: Lugansky’s Rach 3
Rachmaninov’s Third Concerto. The pinnacle of pianism. The king of concertos. A name that was once an Everest for worthy pianists but now is a regular feature in concert halls, perhaps even more so in competitions. This concerto is so familiar, especially to pianists like me, that one already has certain expectations of how they…
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Artist Diploma Final Recital Programme Notes
For my Artist Diploma graduation recital, the summation of five years of intensive study at the Guildhall School, I have chosen a programme which presents passion in many different aspects. Programme: Sofia Gubaidulina (1931-2025) Chaconne César Franck (1822-1890) Prelude, Chorale and Fugue Manuel De Falla (1876-1946) Fantasia Baetica Interval Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Piano Sonata No.…
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Bavouzet’s Ravel-athon: storm and drama at Wigmore Hall
2025 marks the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth (also the 100th anniversary of Satie’s death but that’s just an excuse for a handful of pianists to break World Records by performing his “Vexations”) and somehow his complete oeuvre for solo piano manage to fit into an extended solo recital, so a select few pianists have…
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Yunchan Lim takes on the Goldberg Variations
I still cannot believe the pianist I saw at Wigmore Hall today is only 21 years old! Yunchan Lim took on Bach’s Goldberg Variations, a monumental piece in piano literature stigmatically branded with a “Touch but do not perform until mature” label in the classical world, with a confidence and assuredness such as I have…
Literally Left-handed 