Blogs

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Recalling Richter
“…I don’t play for the audience, I play for myself, and if I derive any satisfaction from it, then the audience, too, is content.” Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) 20th March 2015 marks the centenary of the birth of Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter.
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Instruments of the Orchestra IV: The Double Bass
At the bottom of the string section stands the mighty Double Bass. With a body 45.5 inches (115 cm) and overall length of 74.8 inches (189 cm) the double bass both towers above and supports from below the string section
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Aldo Ciccolini (1925-2015)
Aldo Ciccolini (15 August 1925, Naples, Italy; 1 February 2015, Asnières-sur-Seine, France) brought the world of Satie out of obscurity and showed his quirky qualities to a new generation of listeners. Ciccolini, who was born in Italy but made his
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A glimpse into the world of amateur pianism
In a recital space somewhere in central London a group of people are seated in a rough semi-circle around a Fazioli 212 grand piano. Some lounge in their seats in a pretence of relaxation, others crane forward eagerly for a
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Instruments of the Orchestra III: The Cello
The orchestra string section rests on two supports: the double-basses and their smaller cousins, the cellos. I say cousins because the cello and the double bass actually have different antecedents. The cello is part of the violin family and the
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A Day in the Life of A Musician II
The following is a continuation of the story ‘A Day in the Life of A Musician’, starring the pianist Alexander Kravetsky. Having spent the morning adjucating a youth music competition, Sasha now faces a long afternoon of teaching… 1:50pm As
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A Day in the Life of a Musician I
This is a fictional story about the pianist Alexander Kravetsky. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is purely coincidental. 8:45am I arrive at the foyer of the Rathborne auditorium, where
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Instruments of the Orchestra II: The Viola
Ah, the poor viola, butt of a thousand jokes (What’s the difference between a violin and a viola? The viola burns longer), but, in the end, provides the warm sound that counteracts the often brittle violin sound. In a string
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