… through my childhood, my parents took me to concerts, often featuring the piano. As a consequence, I heard the big warhorses of the piano repertoire performed by many of the “great pianists” of what is now a bygone age, though many are still alive – Alfred Brendel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia and John Lill, amongst others. I loved the music and the whole experience of the concert – the venue, the plush seats, the hushed reverential atmosphere and the special clothes the performers wore. In my teens, I dreamt of being a concert pianist, but my sensible self …

… Golberg Variations in 1981. Compare this with his youthful recording, and one hears more breathing space and thoughtfulness in the music. It is perhaps this insight and profundity that one seeks in going to hear performers such as John Lill, Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Murray Perahia, Maria Joao Pires and Radu Lupu, all now "senior" musicians who have spent a lifetime in music. But of course now and then one comes across a young performer whose playing leaves one utterly awestruck and keen for more: one such performer is Daniil Trifonov, who already displays an extraordinarily mature approach …

… he was giving recitals with the 11-year-old violinist Mischa Elman, and was touring Germany at age 16. By his mid-thirties, he was teaching at the Moscow Conservatory and from that position, taught the greatest of the 20th-century Russian pianists, including Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Tikhon Khrennikov, Radu Lupu, and Nina Svetlanova, among many others. The result of his work was the 1958 book The Art of Piano Playing, which has become the standard work in the field. His playing is recognized for its high level of artistic refinement and clarity of playing that made him stand …

… was about the quality, rather than the quantity, of the concerts. We were very careful in selecting what to play, who to play with.’ Sunwook Kim - Bach : Partita No.1 in B flat major, BWV 825 The Leeds competition has seen the likes of András Schiff, Mitsuko Uchida, and Radu Lupu all claiming the winning prize - but it was their continuing successes afterwards that defined their reputations. ‘Winning a competition isn’t enough - they’ve all had to prove they’re thoughtful musicians. It’s not just about showing off. When you win a …

… t hit the piano, it hits back!’ He was talking about beauty of sound. Sometimes I go to concerts and it hurts my ears, and I feel that is bad piano playing. A lot of people don’t mind this, but then they go and hear the incredible Radu Lupu and think he plays too quietly. ‘It’s quite important to cover significant artists who are not necessarily going to get covered when too many ‘bigger’ events compete for space. Simon Trpčeski gave a Wigmore Hall concert which I went along to and reviewed …

© www.richtercompetition.com "...I don't play for the audience, I play for myself, and if I derive any satisfaction from it, then the audience, too, is content." Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) 20th March 2015 marks the centenary of the birth of Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, Richter was, unusually, self-taught until he entered the Moscow Conservatory at the age of 22, where he undertook formal piano studies with Heinrich Neuhaus (who also taught Emil Gilels and Radu Lupu). It is said that Neuhaus declared …

… Prokofiev and Busoni for their endless capabilities; going further, Kempf, Horszowski, Czerny-Stefanska, Arrau, Lipatti, Gould, Brendel. I would point out also Ashkenazy, Perahia and Radu Lupu for their natural approach to the music. No doubt that Rubinstein, Richter and Gilels have special place for their cultivated and warm sound. Few other names certainly deserve attention like Lazar Berman, Rudolf Firkusnyi, Deszo Ranki and Andras Schiff, as well as Maria Joao Pires, Zimmerman, Pogorelich and Uchida. Paul Lewis, Leif Ove Andsnes and Marc Andre Hammelin are also names that I greatly respect. I am sure I am missing someone …

… also had teachers from different countries and traditions. Each of them has given me something. JL: Who would you regard as your inspiration?DK: Among the pianists who are not with us anymore, I would say Richter, Gilels, Lipatti, Sofronitsky, Fisher, and Schnabel. And today’s pianists would be Radu Lupu , Sokolov, Marta Argerich, Kristian Zimmerman. JL: In terms of repertoire, are you particularly fond of Prokofiev's music? DK: Indeed, Prokofiev has a very special place in my repertoire. Last season, I performed the complete cycle of piano concertos with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. In January …