Wishing you a very happy World Piano Day! This world-wide celebration occurs on the 88th day of the year thanks to the number of keys on the instrument. Founded by German composer and pianist Nils Frahm, Piano Day is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and there are many planned events across the globe including concerts – both live and online – radio shows, podcasts, playlists, and publications.

To mark the occasion, I’d like to share the following film featuring Czech-born Austrian master pianist Alfred Brendel. Since retirement from the concert platform in 2008, Brendel has continued to write poetry, essays and books on various musical topics, give lectures, and offer piano master classes. In this film, he speaks on the seminal topic of Beethoven’s final piano sonatas and his late style, which feels like a fittingly gargantuan subject for World Piano Day.

Few pianists have influenced the perception and performance of music like Brendel. He was the first to record Beethoven’s complete piano works, and he succeeded in bringing Franz Schubert’s music back to the concert stage, among other achievements. Pianist Jan Bartoš provides copious musical examples in this lecture which was recorded in 2021 to celebrate Brendel’s 90th birthday.

Top image: ‘All the colours of the world’ painted piano spotted in Singapore. Copyright: Melanie Spanswick