One of the most treasured composers in France is the younger sister of Nadia Boulanger, Lili Boulanger (1893 – 1918). While the older sister lived a long and fruitful life as one of the most important pedagogues, bearing her influence

Having his first debut released at the age of eight, pianist Ernest So has been very determined on his path since young. “I grew up in a family where music was the only entertainment. I must have watched more videos

In my previous article I wrote about the Ogdon-Stokowski recording of Brahms’ first piano concerto. Here, I would like to write about the performance of the concerto with consideration to the original score. The concerto, Op. 15, was finished in

What Does Singing Have to Do With Increasing Human’s Rate of Survival When Charles Darwin proposed the theory of Evolution, it quickly became common knowledge that organisms constantly adapt to their environment for survival. This is where the catchphrase “survival

Born in 1980, Bulgarian pianist Plamena Mangova is the Second-Prize winner of the 2007 Queen Elisabeth Competition. This award confirms her exceptional talent, which has also been recognised by a prestigious Diapason d’Or de l’Année 2007 for her first CD,

Have you ever heard the song Gloomy Sunday, the 1933 tune composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress? This song is said to be the saddest tune ever composed, and is rumoured to have sparked hundreds to commit suicide.

Brazilian children have a game called “wireless telephone”. Perhaps it is played all over the world, but this version is very simple: you sit next to each other in a circle and the first person whispers a message, a few

A masterclass of The Hong Kong Arts Festival PLUS. 22 Feb 2011, Concert Hall, HKAPA. Whether you are an instrumentalist or just a mere enthusiast without instrumental training, the Art Festival Plus Masterclass series is definitely worth your investment of