The quote in the title is from celebrated pianist Leon Fleisher, who died in August 2020 at the age of 92. In the many tributes to him, his wisdom and good sense, as a musician and a human being, and

Long before we needed childish simplifications and social media overhype to describe the musical explorations of different musical style and genres, there was Chick Corea (1941-2021). To him, musical styles and genres were not restrictive constructs, but an invitation for

It’s almost uncanny how many musicians follow in their parents’ footsteps and conducting is no exception! Here are three legendary families. Leopold and Walter Damrosch One of America’s leading and most influential musicians, Walter came from a historically musical family.

What do dinosaurs, an extra-terrestrial and a killer shark all have in common? The answer: well, apart from at-times-questionable prosthetics, they all share a soundtracks featuring sumptuous orchestral scores, in this case, from the modern master of movie music John

When I said this to one of my students, he looked at me slightly askance from beneath his thick fringe of auburn hair, and I could see him thinking his piano teacher was probably slightly mad. Of course we play

‘Extended techniques’ are those which involve using unconventional or unorthodox methods to create sounds and unusual sonic effects. Perhaps the most famous of these is the “prepared piano”, whereby everyday objects such as nuts and bolts, nails and small pieces

We tend to think of lots of classical music as being set in stone, as always having had that form or those notes in those places; what we often forget is that music is the result of a process of

What is it about the Goldberg Variations which gives them such an enduring appeal? Two new recordings have been released in as many months, by two leading pianists of the 21st-century, yet each quite different in their approach. Maybe it