… 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 …

… each summer as part of the Festival. This year, I was lucky enough to gain a place and, spent six weeks touring around Northern Germany (amongst other places) with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. Here’s a look at what we got up to... The tree warehouse (Baumschule) where Radu Lupu performed Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, surrounded by conifers and pines! In the first week, it was evident that a lot of people were nervous - many of the musicians (myself included) knew no-one else in the orchestra before arriving in Rendsburg - the town where we were …