Johann Nepomuk Hummel (November 14, 1778 – October 17, 1837) was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era. Hummel was born in Pressburg, Hungary (now Bratislava, Slovakia), the

“The young Igor Levit, who shows not only great technical accomplishment but also a remarkable artistic maturity, shaped [Prokofiev’s] concerto forcefully…A brilliant performance.” – Neue Zürcher Zeitung, April 2009 At only 23, Igor Levit has already made his debuts with

We have been celebrating Chopin’s bicentenary for the whole of this year. Numerous articles have been written, prominent pianists have been performing his music all over the world, major festivals have featured special Chopin days, not to mention all the

I love the violin for its incredible emotive range. With a violin in hand, a master can paint so many pictures: a romp through a field, a sun-dappled parlour, a stately march, a manic pandemonium. Or nature in full bloom,

Antigono (excerpts) (1762) Messa per San Marco: Concerto a 4 in D Major (1766) Baldassare Galuppi (18 October 1706 – 3 January 1785) was an Italian composer, nicknamed “Il Buranello” because of his origin on the island of Burano, near the city of Venice. He

A very close family friend of ours who was a prominent and extremely successful barrister recently decided to retire to go back to school. He has chosen to study archaeology, one of his passions, and has just started his first

Debut with the Seattle Symphony and Gerard Schwarz: “This young woman could outplay the devil… Yang’s splash on our coast was stunning… (she) played with fire… a perfect platform for her talents.” – Seattle Times, May 2009

I first met Piotr Anderszewski at la Roque d’Anthéron Piano Festival. I had heard of this talented  pianist, but never had a chance to listen to him live. I still remember the evening concert where I first met him. My