The thirty-second Classical Conversation features British concert pianist and professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music Hamish Milne. We met last month at Jaques Samuel Pianos in London to chat about his life and work. Find out more about Hamish, here. Here’s the transcript for those who prefer to read interviews: MELANIE SPANSWICK: British…
Tag: Concert Pianist
Artur Pizarro in conversation with Melanie Spanswick
My twenty-ninth Classical Conversation features Portuguese concert pianist Artur Pizarro. We met recently at Blüthner Pianos in London to chat about his life and career. Find out more about Artur, here. Here’s the transcript for those who prefer to read interviews: MELANIE SPANSWICK: Portuguese concert pianist Artur Pizarro won the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1990,…
Philip Fowke in conversation with Melanie Spanswick
My twenty-seventh interview features British concert pianist and teacher Philip Fowke. We met up at Steinway Hall in London for a fascinating chat about many aspects of Philip’s career. Find out more about Philip, here. For those who prefer to read interviews, here is the transcript: MELANIE SPANSWICK: British concert pianist Philip Fowke made his…
Andrei Gavrilov in conversation with Melanie Spanswick
My twenty-sixth interview is with the Russian concert pianist Andrei Gavrilov, who I met at Monkton Combe School near Bath (in the UK) before he gave a series of master classes. Find out more about Andrei, here. For those who prefer to read the interview, the here’s transcript: MELANIE SPANSWICK: My classical conversation today…
A Master Class with Andrei Gavrilov
Master class opportunities are usually plentiful. They can be useful on many levels. But coaching sessions with outstanding artists are indeed rare. This is especially true for those encouraging the inclusion of pianists who essentially play for their own pleasure. Andrei Gavrilov (pictured below) is a pianist of the highest calibre, with a once stratospheric…
Comfortable Piano Playing
Piano technique is by no means an easy element to teach and it’s even more tricky to learn and assimilate properly. Few tutors teach it successfully, whether this is because they know little about it or possibly because they find it difficult to relay to pupils (it is!). A good tutor must be able to break…
Vanessa Latarche in conversation with Melanie Spanswick
My twenty-fifth interview features British concert pianist, Head of Keyboard and Professor of International Keyboard Studies at the Royal College of Music Vanessa Latarche. Find out more about Vanessa, here. Here’s the transcript, for those who prefer reading interviews: MELANIE SPANSWICK: British concert pianist and professor of piano, Vanessa Latarche, has performed extensively. She’s in…
Rhythmic Precision in the First Movement of Beethoven’s Sonata in C Minor Op. 10 No. 1
Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas are a musical autobiography, charting the composer’s development from a young man up to his death in 1827. The early sonatas are more typical of the traditional classical style. They are akin to those written by Mozart and Haydn. The last six sonatas are possibly the greatest in this genre ever written for…
‘Divine Fire’ at the Radcliffe Centre in Buckingham
The quaint, attractive market town of Buckingham is situated in North Buckinghamshire. It played host to a rather special performance which was held at the Radcliffe Centre earlier this week. The centre was formerly a splendid church. It’s attached to the University of Buckingham and has been tastefully refurbished and renovated. The centre caters perfectly for recitals and lectures….
A few thoughts on Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C Sharp Minor Op. Posth.
Frédéric Chopin’s nocturnes offer a rich array of depth and emotion for both the pianist and listener. Written between 1827 and 1846, they consist of 21 short pieces. It’s generally acknowledged that the genre was developed by the Irish composer John Field. Chopin expanded on this original conception. He produced what are often considered to…
In Praise of Slow Practice
There are so many different ways of practising the piano and whilst it’s relatively easy to identify those that are ineffective, it’s much harder to establish fail-safe methods which will work every time. Many believe slow practice is of little use and can be distracting or even damaging, but if worked at regularly and accurately, it promotes a much more…
Salon Music
The piano is the perfect vehicle for Salon music, that is, music more suited to the drawing-room as opposed to the concert hall. This genre was popular in Europe in the Nineteenth Century. During this period, many composers were also performers, and they loved to write little pieces to perform at house recitals or soirées, showcasing their talents in…