2016 has certainly seen more crises than most years. But while the attention of the general public and the media tends to move quickly from one disaster to the next, many of those crises remain far from resolved. One of

Pianist Egon Petri (1881-1962) was a Dutch citizen, born in Hannover, Germany, to Dutch parents. He first learned violin from his father, Henri Petri, who had been a student of Joseph Joachim, one of the most significant violinists of the

Nicolai Gedda (1925-2017) was one of the most versatile lyrical tenors of the 20th century. He was rightfully called the “poet among lyric tenors,” and Luciano Pavarotti suggested “there is no tenor with a greater ease in the upper register

As musicians our musical scores are very personal to us, and the markings and annotations we make on our scores can be deeply associated with memories – of significant teachers, special concerts and venues, colleagues and friends, and may even

From his very first concerts at age 14, Josef Lhévinne (1874-1944) was recognized as a pianist with a brilliant future. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory from age 11 with Vasilly Safonov, who reformed the skills of the boy who

All types of music are enhanced by the artistry, dazzling technique and emotional intensity of virtuosos. Yo Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, singers Renée Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa and label-defying artists Audra MacDonald, Andrea Bocelli, and Bela Fleck have

“The loneliness doesn’t worry me……I spend most of my life alone, even backstage…….I’m there completely alone. I like the time alone….” British pianist Stephen Hough, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs programme

German-born pianist Wilhelm Backhaus (1884–1969) started studying the piano at age 4 with his mother and by 1891, was studying at the Leipzig Conservatory. His private study with Eugen d’Albert in Frankfort, a student of Franz Liszt, was crowned by