2020 was to be the main stage for Ludwig van Beethoven. Just about everybody was ready to celebrate the 250th year of his birth with concerts, installations and special exhibitions. And then we got Covid-19, and Beethoven wasn’t the main

For Beethoven the pianist, the piano sonata and the piano concerto were his star vehicle of choice. In the piano sonatas, his tremendous virtuosity came to the fore. Remember that when he came to Vienna, he was there as the

To say that 2020 was a difficult and complicated year is a massive understatement. Since Covid has taken away so many of our freedoms and our plans, it’s been downright depressing at times. I was really looking forward to visit

There is a wealth of books for pianists and pianophiles, from detailed analyses of repertoire to books on technique and practising, pianists’ memoirs and novels featuring pianists. Here is a brief selection of books to satisfy the pianist and pianophile,

We’ve looked at Monumental Beethoven where Beethoven is a presence that overwhelms everything – he’s depicted in statuary all over the world. There’s another type of artwork, however, where Beethoven appears, but not front and center. He’s used as a

The best thing about Christmas, besides getting nice presents and spending quality time with family, is to sing Christmas carols. And one of the most popular carols worldwide is “Silent Night,” a song written in a small village near Salzburg

Music-themed gifts for music lovers and musicians – and not just for Christmas! Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring: Variations on a Shaker Hymn (London Symphony Orchestra; Walter Susskind, cond.) Mozart Kugeln Mozart ‘balls’ are delicious morsels of pistachio marzipan and praline,

Everyone will have an opinion on this – do you want the traditional German heavy recordings? The new interpretive English opinions? Do you want national orchestras? Idiosyncratic readings that make you hear old warhorses with a new manner of understanding?