Tag: Festivals and Competitions

The Pianoforte in Jane Austen’s world

I’m addicted to Jane Austen. Her wonderful novels formed the basis of the 3000 word course-work essay I completed as part of my English A Level. The serene world she wrote about, so far removed from that which we inhabit today, exudes a refined polite demeanour. Those who are familiar with Austen’s succinct, beautifully understated,…

Read More

To memorise or not?

I recently read an interesting article in the New York Times written by Anthony Tommasini regarding memorisation. It refers to a new French movie called ‘Amour’ which features French pianist, Alexandre Tharaud who appears in a dramatic scene performing a Beethoven Bagatelle (Op.126) for his retired former music teacher. The drama of the moment is…

Read More

The Wallcast Interview Series

I discovered this superb series of interviews recently and it brightened my day. These spontaneous question and answer ‘sessions’ are great fun and quite enlightening. The Wallcast Series was recorded at the Verbier Festival in 2011 by Medici.tv and it includes some of the greatest classical musicians. I have picked a few of my favourites:

The Piano Education Project: Vlog 19

I have blogged about scales before because they are such an important element in playing the piano. Vlog 19 offers a few more tips and reasons why scales will only benefit your piano playing.