Debussy was born in 1862 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a suburb of Paris. Over the course of his career, he became one of the twentieth century’s great musical revolutionaries. Debussy’s music is known for its impressionistic style and French identity. Debussy is

Vladimir Ashkenazy was born on 6 July 1937 in Gorky, presently called Nizhniy Novgorod, a city on the river Volga about 250 miles east of Moscow. The family name Ashkenazy is inextricably connected with Jewish history, in particular with “that

In the Renaissance, the musical score didn’t exist. Each singer received their own part book and sang from it. In this 17th century painting, we see the singers and players gathered around the table, each with a separate book in

To say one witness magic at Sokolov’s concerts is no exaggeration. Only one day after Krystian Zimerman gives a recital in Wuppertal, Grigory Sokolov is to perform in Frankfurt – this opportunity simply cannot be missed, not to mention coincidentally

The song cycle Winterreise starts in the worst possible way, with our disappointed lover hanging around town heartbroken after he’s been given his congé. Dismissed, he wanders around the village, saying farewell to the beloved places that had been so

I have never really played in a chamber music group, but if I had the chance, I would probably try to find a piano trio. It is not only one of the most popular ensembles in chamber music, but it

Johann Sebastian Bach is, of course, one of the most beloved composers of all time. He’s also famous for having fathered twenty children. A few became famous composers in their own right…but many of them died tragically young, too. Today

For “World Pianist Day” 2023, I wrote a little blog featuring some rarely performed or forgotten piano sonatas. As you know, the piano repertoire is absolutely vast, and at the end of my blog, I always invite readers to let