For one night only, the Festival in Aix-en-Provence put on Verdi’s early opera, I Due Foscari. Staging this lesser known work with its unlikely story devoid of much dramatic development, the choice of a concert version was a good one.

Aix-en-Provence’s longstanding summer music festival commands a somewhat inconspicuous position in the European landscape of music festivals. While the Festspiele dominate Salzburg during the summer months, the performances in the arena define Verona during their season, and Bayreuth pulsates during

Described as “the greatest talent he has ever encountered” by his mentor Alfred Brendel, Kit Armstrong is a British-Taiwanese pianist and one of the most versatile artists of his generation. He is a true polymath – he taught himself composition

One of the most sought-after musicians in Hong Kong, pianist Rachel Cheung achieved worldwide acclaim after reaching the finals and winning the Audience Award in Van Cliburn Piano Competition in 2017. She gave a compelling recital entitled “Fantasies” on 31

It’s been more than one year, and we (the classical music industry included) continue to be impacted by the pandemic. I believe most, if not all, of you will agree with me that music is desperately needed especially in these

Following his double CD release of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Chinese superstar pianist Lang Lang has now released a 4-CD extended edition which includes bonus tracks of music by, attributed to, or influenced by J.S. Bach. “The more time I spent

It’s a simple concept – a theme, or melody, initially stated in its original form, is put through a series of transformations, often quite complex and including textural, dynamic and key changes, to take player and listener on a fascinating

A conundrum which faces all pianists – professional, student or amateur – is how to make the piano, a percussive instrument whose sounds are created by hammers hitting strings, sing. Legato, the technique for creating a joined-up, singing or “cantabile”