Pianist

Most of us respond positively to a challenge. Among the more rewarding aspects of working towards an exam, concert, music festival or other event, are what we learn about ourselves along the way, how we respond to aspects that don’t settle so easily,

Beisembayev plays Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Tap the play buttons below to listen LISZT TRANSCENDENTAL ETUDE NO 12, CHASSE-NEIGE A very young Alim © Olivia da Costa Winning the Leeds International Piano Competition, Britain’s leading contest of i

Key F major Tempo Allegro Style Classical Will improve your ✓ Articulation ✓ Ornament technique ✓ Rhythmic pulse © Sarah Barnes This elegant miniature appears in Mozart’s The London Sketchbook. With its bright and breezy RH tune and mainly chordal

There are several so-called rules about piano playing that, although formulated long ago, may still haunt us today. In the previous issue, I centred on the myth of the perpetual finger legato in melodic lines and concluded that it is best practice to

The rising phenomenon of Alexander Malofeev has inspired unique fervor with his fans around the world as he expands his reach across a growing roster of prominent festivals, halls, and orchestral appearances. The reactions one witnesses with his far-

Key G major Tempo Moderato Style Romantic Will improve your ✓Polyrhythms ✓Phrase shaping ✓Evenness and control © Sven Arnstein It is no real surprise that Rachmaninov followed in the footsteps of Chopin in writing 24 Preludes for piano. Chopin was a

Key A flat major Tempo Andante cantabile Style Romantic Will improve your ✓ Pedalling ✓ Voicing ✓ Ornamentation Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) is amongst the most distinguished yet neglected composers. Her output deserves investigating further. After al

German composer Daniel Gottlob Türk remains best known today for his extensive and extremely detailed musical treatise, Klavierschule (1789), one of the most important sources for keyboard performance practice of the late 18th century. His collection

August Eberhard Müller composed concertos, keyboard and chamber music, plus various vocal works. His early output was of a Mozartian style, and his later piano music was more virtuoso. This short piece is a great exercise for practising soft playing.

Born in Kherson, Ukraine, Maykapar graduated from the Law School of St Petersburg University (1890) and from the St Petersburg Conservatory as a pianist in 1893. He continued his studies with Leschetitzky in Vienna, then divided time between Moscow a

French pianist Henri Jérôme Bertini was born in London, but his family returned to Paris six months later. He received his early musical education from his father and his brother, a pupil of Muzio Clementi. He was considered a child prodigy and at th

Notes from the composer: Inspired by puppets, this happy little piece consists of a joyful tune in the key of F major. Set in 16 bars, the four-bar phrases are based on the opening motif in bar 1, which moves around the tonic triad (F, A, C). For the

Alfredo Casella was an Italian composer, conductor and pianist. He studied in Paris, and remained there until 1914. After touring as a pianist, Casella returned to Italy in 1915. In 1917 he founded the National Society of Music, soon renamed the Ital

When the editor first heard this hypnotic piece on Isata Kanneh-Mason’s Summertime album, she knew it had to feature it inside the magazine. With its stillness and hauntingly subtle changes of harmonies, it’s thoroughly intoxicating. Thanks, Isata! P

DON’T MISS NILS FRANKE’S LESSON ON THIS PIECE After completing her studies at the Paris Conservatoire, Louise Farrenc started her career as a concert pianist, becoming quite famous in the 1830s. In 1842 she became the only woman to be appointed to th

American composer Scott Joplin wrote over 40 ragtime compositions during his life. Because of the fame he achieved for these pieces, he was dubbed ‘King of Ragtime’. Composed in 1909, this slow waltz is particularly tender – and it’s perfect for the

Träumerei Op 9 No 4 CLICK HERE TO WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS This magical composition appears within the set of five pieces entitled Stimmungsbilder (mood pictures). Metronome marking has not been applied, but we suggest approximately crotchet = 45.

Polonaise in E flat Op 1 No 1 What a fun Polonaise this is! It might be her first opus, but concert pianist Clara Schumann clearly already showed her talent as a composer. Playing tips: Relax the wrist very slightly between each quaver LH octave, so

No 6 from Six Easy Pieces Op 52 Composed in 1810, and published five years later, this Vivace of Op 52 – often referred to as Op 42, which is atually incorrect – is anything but easy! It requires sparkle, wit and a first-class technique. Playing tips

Bach’s 15 Inventions were originally written as ‘Praeambula’ and ‘Fantasia’ in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a Clavierbooklet for his eldest son. They were later rewritten as musical exercises for his students. All 15 Inventions ar

DON’T MISS LUCY PARHAM’S LESSON ON THIS PIECE Prelude in G Op 32 No 5 Sergei Rachmaninov wrote a total of 24 Preludes: the standalone Prelude in C sharp minor (Op 3 No 2), the 10 Preludes Op 23 and the 13 Preludes Op 32. They cover all the keys, but

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© Erica Worth Though young violinists, cellists and many wind players commonly benefit and flourish in their early development by practising on half and three-quarter size instruments, pianists have to cope in a ‘one size fits all’ world. Historicall

Ask somebody you know who has a profession of note – alawyer, anesthesiologist, politician, for example – at what age they started training for their career. While answers will vary, most detailed professional training begins in the graduate school y

This piece comes from The First Lessons on Pianoforte op 125 by Austrian publisher, composer and teacher Anton Diabelli, who wrote many such educational volumes.Even though this piece is marked at a fast speed, you should avoid the temptation to rush

Rachel Starritt and Ethan Loch are two remarkable young pianists who were born blind. Unlike sighted pianists, they can’t rely on the support and security of a printed score, let alone the ability to visualise a piano’s 88 notes. Instead, they have e

‘Gnossienne’ is a musical form created by the brilliant and eccentric French composer Erik Satie, who wrote six of them for solo piano. This fifth Gnossienne was composed around 1889, but not published until 1968, along with Nos 4 and 6. Playing tips

Tchaikovsky’s Album for the Young, dating from 1878 and dedicated to his seven-year-old nephew Bob Davidov, does what it says on the tin: it’s a collection of 24 pieces written for children to play, unlike Schumann’s similarly titled yet more challen

From youth in artistocratic Russia to fleeing the revolution, from uneasy perches in European capitals to his last days in Beverly Hills, Sergei Rachmaninov led a life that was nothing if not dramatic. The Elégie is an early work (1892) from the grea