Going beyond the notes …a virtuoso was, originally, a highly accomplished musician, but by the nineteenth century the term had become restricted to performers, both vocal and instrumental, whose technical accomplishments were so pronounced as to dazzle the public. ‘Music

“The more I play, the more I am convinced the pedal is the soul of the pianoforte!” Arthur Rubinstein “….abusing the pedal is only a means of covering up a lack of technique, and that making a lot of noise

In my previous article on gesture, I talked about the physical gestures we can employ to influence and enhance the quality of our sound and how we can create certain effects at the piano, such as staccato, a rich cantabile

In the dimmed lights of the concert hall the pianist crouches, cat-like, over the piano. His hands swoop across the keyboard in a blur of movement, he sways maniacally from side to side before throwing back his head and raising

British pianist Stephen Hough sparked a lively debate recently by suggesting that classical concerts could be “shorter” to attract younger or new audiences, or to allow venues and musicians to offer two concerts in one evening. He also hinted that

The world of classical music is driven with conventions from the way we dress to the manner in which music is presented in public and when it is acceptable to applaud. Many of these customs developed in the second half

An attitude still prevails today that classical musicians, and perhaps mostly especially pianists, exist in some kind of gilded cage or ivory tower, where, separated from the humdrum demands of everyday life, they hone their art and craft in glorious

elite noun a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society The word “elite” has been frequently heard during the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.