Have you seen today's Google Doodle? It highlights Oskar Sala, a physicist and composer and early pioneer in electronic instruments. Here is a good video to introduce you to Oskar playing on the Trautonium. Sala worked on many film scores with this instrument, and created the non-musical soundtrack for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. He received many awards for his film scores, but never received an Oscar. In 1995 he donated his original mixture-trautonium to the German Museum for Contemporary Technology. If you find this quite interesting, as I do, you can read lots about early electronic instruments! I am rather fond of the sound of the "theremin", have you ever heard of it? Check it out, and let me know what you think!!
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One of the many pianists that I admire today is Jeremy Denk. I have suggested to many of you to watch the marvelous videos of Jeremy performing some of the Bach Goldberg Variations on Apple music. I find his focus and concentration, his thoughts when he describes so compelling. Jeremy has a book called Every Good Boy Does Fine; I have on order and am looking forward to reading! I recently watched a video of an interview with Jeremy discussing "why practice matters" on CBS Sunday Morning (I link it here for you). Jeremy is a witty writer, as well as a pianist, and I have read many of his Blogs on his website. Jeremy is also a MacArthur Genius Grant awardee; no slouch there! And I highly recommend a recording from 2012: Ligeti/Beethoven. He plays the very thorny, but amazing etudes by Ligeti, coupled with the last Sonata No. 32 by Beethoven. Seek this one out, and let me know what you think!
In celebration, Bruce Liu, winner of last summer's International Chopin Competition, performed a beautiful recital on March 1 (dedicated to the victims of the war on Ukraine). He played some of my very favorite Chopin works, and wow, how he played! Bruce's program included the Nocturne Op. 27 No. 1, the Rondo a la Mazur op. 5, two Ballades, the Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35, and he finished with the Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise, op. 22. I link the video here, but be aware that you will have to manipulate some timing! He doesn't actually walk onstage until about 7:00 minutes in, and there is a long intermission in the middle you can skip through. Please watch, listen, and enjoy. I have watch several times! Let me know how you liked this performance!
Wow! All I can say about the great Tiny Desk concert with Catherine Russell! Ms. Russell is a Grammy-winning vocalist with a fabulous satiny voice. She says that her music is influenced by the Black blues women of the 1920's. Her set highlights that influence with the tune: "He May Be Your Dog But He's Wearing My Collar" by vaudeville singer Rosa Henderson. Such fun!! Great musicians all around! Watch and enjoy! says that her music is influenced by
A few weeks ago as part of our studio's "Chopin Project" we discussed at great length the use of the pedal, particularly where Chopin is concerned. I spent time recently listening to a great, short podcast from tonebase Piano. It is Episode 5, entitled "The 'Sole' of the Piano", or Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Pedaling (but were afraid to ask). It is a brief history of pedaling from the industrial revolution to the digital age. I truly would love you to listen to this podcast because I think it is quite informative. Many different pianists are consulted for their opinions regarding, solely yours! pedal usage (although some of those opinions are not shared by me, all are thought-provoking). Let's discuss at your lesson, "solely" yours, AD
I was having just "one of those days" with my piano practicing last week - have you had those?! Nothing seemed to be going right, I was distracted, etc. I often listen to some favorite piano works performed beautifully by favorite pianists to inspire and motivate me to head back to the piano, and I happened to read an article about Ruth Slenczynska. I know her playing, and also had (but had "lost") a copy of her book, Music at Your Fingertips, which talks about practicing, repertoire, listening, and other topics (ask me about at your next lesson!). Maestra Ruth - at 97 - was just signed by Decca Records - I link an article here. Upon reading I wanted to reacquaint myself with her, so have watched and listen to videos, and I really want to share some of those with you in hopes that you will learn a bit about her! Madame Slenczynska, a child prodigy giving her first comet at four, is the last living pupil of Rachmaninov; she also studied with other of the finest pianists of the early 20th century, like Joseph Hofmann, Alfred Cortot, Egon Petri, Artur Schnabel. There is a lovely article in BBC news with several videos of her playing. I can't encourage you enough to take a half hour and watch this video I link on youtube with Ruth discussing her study with Josef Hofmann (and please listen to this video of his playing of the Chopin Ballade No. 1) and Rachmaninov....you will learn much, as I did! I was also fascinated with this video as Ruth discusses her experiences at the Paris Conservatoire as a child, and all of the people she came into contact with there. Ruth studied at Curtis Institute and some of her classmates became life-long friends, like composer Samuel Barber, pianists Shura Cherkassky and Abby Simon. Such a life in music!! Now, I am inspired to get back to work at the piano, and I think you will be too!
I was very excited to listen to the newest recording by the splendid pianist, Paul Lewis, of the piano pieces composed by Johannes Brahms late in his life. I have studied and learned many, many of these Op. 116, 117, 118, and especially 119 "intermezzi" and fantasies. I link an article by David Allen regarding what Paul Lewis calls "works of abject anguish," but please don't let this darken your day! Listen to these pieces on whatever streaming platform you prefer; I think you will agree with my assessment of them as pieces of great beauty. We can all use a little Brahms in our lives! I hope you enjoy as much as I do.
Ah, the summer is fleeting, and so is the hope I had of finishing my preparations for a late summer recital! My enthusiasm for the music I have been working on to perform for this recital has not at all dimmed, just been somewhat postponed! In all honesty, I keep thinking of other material that would work well. I have decided to "let go" of one piece so that I may include another - the "Nocturne" for piano written by Samuel Barber, a composer whose music I have been particularly drawn to, especially his works for piano. As I really dig into this piece, I have been doing some reading and listening, particularly to the late pianist John Browning. Browning was quite connected to Samuel Barber, as Browning premiered some of Barber's piano music. In 1962 Browning gave the premiere of Barber's Piano Concerto, which was written for him. In 1993 Browning won a second Grammy award for his recording of many of Barber's solo piano works. Browning's recording are, for me, a wonderful reference for study of Barber. Along similar lines, I was delighted to happen upon a wonderful youtube video of Browning talking about the "Russian school" of piano performance, especially discussing the teachings of Rosina Lhevinne, who for many years taught at Juilliard (she was a teacher of Louis Pollak, who I studied with for a time). I have linked this video with Browning here, and I encourage you to watch and contemplate........many interesting ideas about piano performance I think you will enjoy. Oh, and for those of you over the age of 21, Greg Anderson of the piano duo Anderson & Roe, is apparently quite a cocktail enthusiast! Here is Greg's recipe called "The Barber Nocturne," which has among the ingredients bourbon and pumpkin puree for those of you who can't wait for the pumpkin latte season! Play Barber responsibly!
THE BARBER NOCTURNEI created this autumnal drink while listening to the music of Samuel Barber — nostalgic, deep, earthy, sophisticated, melancholy, and distinctly American. Drink it while listening to his Violin Concerto, or his Cello Sonata, or his Essay, Op. 12… or if you dare, his famed Adagio for Strings. Or, simply enjoy it during the Thanksgiving season! Although it features pumpkin puree, this drink is far from a dessert drink, being neither too sweet nor too spicy.
Note: to make the brown sugar simple syrup, mix 2 parts brown sugar with 1 part water. Bring to a boil, then let cool before mixing it into the drink. Note: 1/2 ounce = 1 tablespoon. Interest has been building in the works of Nikolai Kapustin, who wrote in classical styles, with a jazzy spin. I read an article recently, which I link for you here, about a Russian composer whose name I had heard of but really hadn't explored his music. Kapustin wrote many, many works for solo piano, but also symphonies and chamber music. He died in 2020, and was largely "undiscovered" until recent decades when both Steven Osbourne and Marc-Andre Hamelin (both marvelous pianists who often look beyond the traditional piano repertoire) released wonderful recordings of Kapustin's solo piano music. Much of the music is available from Schott publishing, and you won't find on imslp, of course. Listen to this recording on youtube of Kapustin himself performing his own "24 Preludes in a Jazz Style" and let me know what you think!
Some of my students will remember learning a piece or two composed by Seymour Bernstein when we worked on our "Birds" recital! So, it was natural that I would gravitate towards this video interview with Seymour on touch, control, and Chopin. I have watched this video several times; please enjoy as I think it is marvelous!! Mr. Bernstein is a terrific teacher as well as a composer and pianist.
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