I will say this upfront, as a pianist who knows exactly how hard this instrument can bite. Yuja Wang is a miracle! She is both an inspiration and a delightful menace. She raises the bar so high, it feels almost

Constantin Brâncuși (1876-1957), the world-famous artist who basically founded modern sculpture, did not sit around writing essays about music. He did not annotate scores or lecture on counterpoint. He did not, heaven forbid, issue pronouncements about “sculptural sonata form.” And

György Kurtág, born on 19 February 1926 in Lugoj, in the Banat region of present-day Romania, developed a highly personal musical language. Shaped by a multicultural environment and profound musical curiosity, Kurtág followed a singular path that placed miniature forms at

Claudio Arrau (1903–1991) stands among the towering figures of 20th-century pianism. Celebrated for an expansive repertoire and deeply philosophical approach, Arrau’s name is inexorably linked to the piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven. Arrau’s journey through these works, especially his

On 17 February 2026, we celebrate the centenary of the birth of Friedrich Cerha (1926-2023). He was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher, and interpreter whose nearly eight-decade career made him a decisive figure in post-war European music. His work bridged

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) is often painted as the polite and well-mannered Romantic. We certainly know him as the composer of fairy wings, sparkling scherzos, and elegant melodies. But as soon as you spend a little time at the piano with

Listening to 20th-century music can be hard work. For audiences raised on tonal harmony, flowing melodies, and familiar formal signposts, the sounds of modernism often arrive without warning. Dense dissonance, fragmented gestures, and violent contrast seemingly confront the listener, leading

Franz Liszt spent several years creating piano versions of Franz Schubert’s songs. Crafted between 1833 and 1846, he made around fifty-six transcriptions that carefully kept many details of the original music. By removing the words, these pieces become purely instrumental.