“No life without art, no art without life” Theodor Leschetizky (1830–1915) is one of the most illustrious and supremely towering figures in the history of the piano. In fact, his student Annette Hullah suggested that Leschetizky “was the best piano

“It was as if I had been born anew” Prokofiev and Shostakovich are household names in 20th century Russian music, but until recently hardly anybody recognized the name Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996). Born in Poland but forced to flee his homeland

“I seek for love everywhere—ceaselessly” In 2017 we celebrate the 80th passing of Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937), one of the most unique musical voices of the 20th century. Born in the Ukraine into a family of landed gentry who settled there

I can empathise with Roxanna Panufnik. She, too, is a morning person. ‘Anything difficult that I have to do I schedule for Monday morning; it’s when I’m at my complete and utter freshest!’ I catch her after a stint of

Fishing for Souls The premier of Witold Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto in 1970 was greeted as “an epic confrontation between an individual and an oppressive mass, in which the cello’s voice is symbolically squashed by outbursts in the brass and orchestral

One of the most versatile, multi-faceted and stylistically diverse composer of modern times, Krzysztof Penderecki was born 23 November 1933 in Dębica, Poland. Education and Early Compositions After initially taking private music lessons, Penderecki enrolled in the State Higher School

In October 2005, the name of Rafał Blechacz swept across the world of classical music, with his exceptional winning of all five 1st prizes at the 15th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, including the Polish Radio Award for

Franz Doppler Albert Franz Doppler (October 16, 1821 – July 27, 1883) was a flute virtuoso and a composer. Born in Lemberg, Franz received flute lessons from his father Joseph Doppler, who was an oboist, and made his debut as