Tag: Pianist
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Critique of the Gould Plan for the Abolition of Applause and Demonstrations of All Kinds, a.k.a GPAADAK
Pianist Glenn Gould’s proposed plan for the Abolition of Applause and Demonstrations of All Kinds need reviewing. Its implications may be critical for the future of classical music.
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A Musician’s Search for Meaning
Without that anchor, I would be lost in sea, unsure of what all that practice had led up to, all that time spent trying to read dots on a page and then reproduce them on ivory keys. And then I would probably drown in a sea of self-doubt. I may sound dramatic but when anxiety…
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The concert as a spiritual journey
s a greater force at work than the emotional effect of the musical pieces chosen. The separate pieces lose their individual significance as they merge into something greater, a power of pure sound, passion and even mysticism.
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Living and breathing music: my experience at Chetham’s International Piano Summer School
I definitely felt that I briefly lived in a reality suspended slightly above normal life during those five days, an experience which has created a deep impression that I hope will last as I return to London…
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Creative Minds in Song project: music, mental health and the delight of putting the two together
Creative Minds in Song is a project which brings together music and mental health to show how classical music can interact with contemporary problems. Musicians and composers from Guildhall School of Music and Drama collaborated with poets and participants from the Tower Hamlets branch of Mind, a nationwide mental health charity, to create new songs…
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Concert Review: Benjamin Grosvenor for the BBC Radio 3 Rush Hour Concert
Tonight was my first time attending a concert at Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’s, literally steps away from my school. To honour the establishment of my concert-going relationship with this incredible church-converted music hall, I had the privilege of listening to Benjamin Grosvenor’s astounding piano playing. Jerwood Hall was a peaceful shelter away from the…
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Leeds International Piano Competition entry #10: My Top Ten Moments
Terribly sorry for the long due post to conclude my small project of following the Leeds, but I’ve been very busy since the finale of this grand competition, and now I’ve finally got some time to write about it! Firstly, a long due congratulations to the prize winners: Eric Lu, Mario Häring and Xinyuan Wang,…
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Leeds International Piano Competition entry #9: What do you do when your nail comes off halfway through a performance?
So the first night of the Leeds Finals happened last night. I went to bed at 8:30pm and got up at 2 just to watch it, feeling all excited, but frankly, I was a bit disappointed. Hear me out. I don’t think the pianist’s lack of flair or musicality is the only factor when I…
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Leeds International Piano Competition entry #8: The Magic of Eric Lu
I love Eric Lu. I think I first came across Eric when he played in the Chopin Competition around four years back. He got 4th prize, and he was only 17 then. Now, at the age of 20, he has come back to grace the stage in Leeds with his presence, bringing with him his…
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Leeds International Piano Competition entry #7: Aljoša’s fall from grace
I think it’s true when people say that classical musicians are only the medium between composers and their music. Ultimately a pianist doesn’t own the music he plays, even if he composed it himself. I could say that I like Horowitz playing Rachmaninoff rather than Rachmaninoff playing Rachmaninoff. Strangely, this seems to echo with religious…
Literally Left-handed 