Pianist

Sometimes we like to go off-piste with our covers, especially at the end of the year. This issue features one of the world’s most instantly recognisable faces, Cate Blanchett. She’s no pianist, but her latest film casts her as a classical musician, a

In answer to Susie MacLeod’s letter (‘Holidays with a piano’, issue 128), I have had good success finding piano access when traveling here in the US. 1) Colleges and Universities: I have made contacts and gained permission to use practice rooms at a

TAP TO WATCH Listen to Franck’s Prélude Op 18 on the organ When Christmas comes around, you can be guaranteed of hearing Franck’s Panis angelicus in some form or other: as a vocal solo, perhaps, or a duet, or instrumental version, or orchestral arra

Beech and mahogany give the rim a warm and deep sound quality. Acoustic Resonance Enhancement technology reduces the wood’s moisture content to suppress damping for clean vibrations. An innovative joint method binds woods together for a smooth, reson

20th century Greek piano music Melism MLS-CD-035 What a treasure. There is no harm in sounding like Messiaen-lite when the colours are so vivid and the feeling for the piano so instinctively right as they are in the 24 Préludes (very French indeed)

Books 1 & 2 Melanie Spanswick The Willis Music Company As their titles indicate, these are repertoire books (not method books) aimed at pre-Grade 1 beginners, starting with pieces in five-finger position centred around middle C. The pacing is nice a