For years, Mily Balakirev’s Islamey (1869) was considered the most difficult piece for piano. But contenders abound: Charles-Valentin Alkan’s Concerto for Solo Piano (published 1857)? Kaikhosru Sorabji’s Opus Clavicembalisticum (1930), Leopold Godowsky’s Studies on Chopin’s Études or György Ligeti’s Études

Maurice Ravel only wrote two piano concertos, and they are so individual in sound that they stand for a whole lot more. The first was the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, M. 82, written on commission for one-handed pianist

British pianist Sir Stephen Hough hadn’t intended to write a piano concerto. But during the dark days of the COVID pandemic, he was approached to write a score for a film about a concert pianist writing a piano concerto… With

“All my transcriptions are motivated by the desire to play my favourite music on the piano.” – Eleonor Bindman A lifelong love of J.S. Bach has led pianist Eleonor Bindman to produce a number of important transcriptions for solo piano

Australian violinist Christian Li arrived on the scene with a spectacular joint first in the 2018 Menuhin Junior Competition in Geneva. As he was only 10 when he won, it was truly the launch of a violin phenomenon. His new

From “Rise in Fame” to “Artistic Decline” – 2000 to 2021 In 2000, an exceptionally gifted but relatively unknown Chinese pianist, Yundi Li, exploded onto the world’s music scene after winning the 14th Chopin International Piano Competition at the age

Believe it or not, I find contemporary music utterly irresistible. Day in and day out, I hunt for it wherever press trips take me across China and beyond. In 2024, I attended more new music festivals than any other type

To mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of Philip Glass’s 20 Etudes for piano in November 2024, SOMM Recordings has released a Special Edition of Selected Etudes, performed by Italian pianist and composer, Giusto Di Lallo. Following in the