Top Picks of 2013

We wish all readers a Happy New Year with a list of highly recommended reading the most popular articles of 2013 from Piano Street’s Classical Piano Blog: Breaking News: Mysterious Mozart Cadenza Identified! Volodos in Vienna Do We Judge Music by Sight More Than Sound? The Great Piano Scam Master Teacher Wijn is Growing Flowers and Plants Steinway Update: Code Name “Edelweiss” Outbid by a True Piano Lover More is More and The Art of Perfection – Master Piano Technician Peter Salisbury Turns a Steinway Into Two Samsung Smashes Haydn in Gothenburg Barenboim’s Decca/DG Deal Opened Up for Neglected Chopin The Art of Improvisation – Risky Business and Living It All at the Same Time The Case of Ravel András Schiff Almost Won Grammy Without Pedal

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/happy-new-year-top-picks-of-2013-6659/

Piano News Flash Revamped

In addition to the weekly articles here on the Classical Piano Blog, Piano Street has for many years been covering the daily news flow of piano related news in a few different formats. At first we published it here in the form of monthly link collections under the name Piano News Flash (see example) before moving on to even more frequent updates in our Twitter Feed. While appreciated by readers, neither of these two formats have been meeting our goals from a user experience perspective. Keep up to date on a new level Today we are launching our completely new Piano News Flash platform which takes the concept up to a completely new level. The new feature activated today in all Piano Street members accounts presents daily piano related news and interesting links in the form of an editorial introduction with a link to external resources for further reading. With the News Flash we are aiming for a clear and concise presentation of carefully selected news so that you, by spending no more th

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/site-news/piano-news-flash-revamped-6592/

International Piano – Jan/Feb 2014

A new issue of International Piano is out! Content highlights: Menahem Pressler receives Indiana University Medal at 90th birthday gala concert First World War centenary: How the events of 1914-18 shaped pianism On the brandwagon: The face of modern-day patronage Summer schools: Irish masterclass, Dublin International Piano Festival and Academy, Course listings Cache benefits: Online resource iplaythepiano.com The Tobias Matthay sound: His legacy on record Meeting Alice Herz Sommer: Musician and inspiration Piano Street Gold members have instant online access to the digital version of the magazine.

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/international-piano-janfeb-2014-6586/

AST Updated: 700 Piano Pieces Added

Are you also getting confused when listening to music on YT?If you are like most other Piano Street visitors, you regularly listen to and enjoy piano music on YouTube or music streaming services like Spotify or Naxos Music Library. Compared to the era of LPs or CDs, the sheer amount of recordings we have instant access to today is completely overwhelming. Blessing or curse? While this is mostly a blessing for everyone who loves music, it can also be confusing. Sites like YouTube are not exactly designed to promote concentrated listening. How often do you listen to a complete Beethoven Sonata without being distracted? Many of us often end up just skipping around, in the vague hope of finding something even better or more interesting. An idea was born So two years ago, having 2800 piano pieces in our sheet music library, we got the brilliant but crazy idea to create a tool which could give you easy access to the best videos and streaming audio tracks while studying the score. This seeme

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/site-news/ast-updated-700-piano-pieces-added-6525/

Leonardo da Vinci’s Viola Organista comes to life after 500 years!

Hear the world premiere of a new instrument: Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472) coined the term Renaissance Man after applying the concept of Renaissance Humanism and opined that such a man would be able to do all things if he will. Even though Leonardo da Vinci was only 20 when Alberti died, he more than fulfilled the elder man s vision. He sketched diagrams for 20th century parachutes by observing falling leaves, drew up plans for a submarine, and sketched a helicopter after seeing the whirling seeds of the maple tree. “Music is the food of the soul” - Leonardo da VinciIn addition to these scientific pursuits, he found time to be one of the greatest artists of all time. Many people don t know, however, that this incredible thinker was also a musician. According to his biographers, Leonardo was an outstanding lira da braccio player for his time, and he used this viola type instrument to improvise while he sang. He also played the lute and probably the organ. As for keyboard inst

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/leonardo-da-vincis-viola-organista-comes-to-life-after-500-years-6508/

Pleyel Turns the Last Page?

A Pleyel was Chopin s favorite piano; he once said, when I m feeling energetic and strong enough to find my own sound, I need a Pleyel piano. Ignaz Pleyel, a student, friend and confidant of Franz Josef Haydn, began producing pianos in 1807. His innovations include the first upright pianos in France, the sustained sound and metallic frames. In addition to Chopin, such luminaries as Stravinsky, Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Liszt and Grieg made Pleyel pianos their darlings too. Watch pianist Janina Fialkowska introduce and play a 1848 Pleyel grand piano: Pleyel closing the Saint-Denis Workshop After more than 200 years producing 250,000 of the highest-quality pianos in the French tradition, Pleyel will be closing the doors of its one remaining factory. Undercut by business is war tactics from Asian piano makers, Pleyel s insistence on producing hand-crafted, tailor-made works of art instead of mass-produced models failed. The company s spokesman and manufacturing head, Bernard Roques,

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/pleyel-turns-the-last-page-6500/

Pianos for People

From the late 18th century, when the piano began to supplant the harpsichord as the world s chief keyboard instrument, it s been a fixture in many places. People had a piano in the parlor; churches had one in the basement for choir practice, and every school auditorium had one. Pianos even graced the stages of silent movie theaters during the early 20th century. In the 21st century, as electronic instruments become more popular as less expensive options than traditional pianos, wood-and-wire keyboards are finding their way into landfills and junk heaps. Non-profit organization Pianos for People doesn t want these pianos uselessly deteriorating when others could benefit from them. Their mission is to restore and recondition these instruments to working order and then deliver them, free of charge, to needy and deserving families and groups. There are many people who simply cannot afford a keyboard instrument of any type. While a suburban family might only need a simple spinet for their

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/pianos-for-people-6471/

Volodos in Vienna

You can keep your Lang Langs, your Yuja Wangs, your Evgeny Kissins… I d swap their collective virtuosity for one evening of Arcadi Volodos s consummate pianism. To my mind, he has produced nothing finer on disc than this live recital, captured in Vienna last spring. Gramophone Magazine Volodos in Vienna is a recital album by Arcadi Volodos recorded live at the Musikverein in Vienna. Gramophone Magazine rated this performance in its CD version as the best instrumental recording of 2010. The first half of the recital consists of varous pieces by Scriabin and Ravel s Valses nobles et sentimentales. Here in the second half we hear Volodos perform Schumann s Waldszenen and Liszt s Dante Sonata : Volodos Recital Vienna 2010 Schumann Waldszenen, Op. 82 1. Eintritt Im Walde 2. Jäger Auf Der Lauer 3. Einsame Blumen 4. Verrufene Stelle 5. Freundliche Landschaft 6. Herberge 7. Vogel Als Prophet 8. Jagdlied 9. Abschied Liszt from Années de pèlerinage, Second Year: Italy No. 7, Après Une Lec

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/video-picks/volodos-in-vienna-6215/

Pianist Lang Lang appointed UN Messenger of Peace

Capitalizing on the popularity of the pianist Lang Lang, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on October 28 designated the world-renowned Chinese as a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on global education. There are 57 million children around the world who don t regularly attend school. Mr. Lang has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 2003 and recently said he relishes his new mandate. He has donated significant funds to that global organization from the proceeds of his concerts and has also supported other causes, such as relief for the victims of the Haitian earthquake. Lang Lang performing F. Chopin s first Waltz at the UN ceremony.Lang Lang s work on the United Nations Global Education First Initiative begins with his October 28 appointment, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is excited. The initiative has three main goals: Ensuring every child attends school Bettering education throughout the world Educating all children in the responsibilities associated wit

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/pianist-lang-lang-appointed-un-messenger-of-peace-6410/

Samsung Smashes Haydn in Gothenburg

At a concert in Gothenburg Concert Hall October 23, 2013, pianist and conductor Christian Zacharias stopped playing in the middle of Haydn s D major Piano Concerto, interrupted by an audience member s cell phone ringing for the second time the same concert. At the end of a phrase in the first movement, Zacharias abruptly stops, looks back and says, Don t answer. Let it ring. After some moments of awkward silence, he resumes the performance. Måns Pär Fogelberg of GSOPlay, which films Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra´s concerts, said the offender hasn t yet come forward. As far as we know, no one stepped up afterwards and claimed the ownership of either of the two phones that went off during the concert, says Fogelberg. In an after-interview Christian Zacharias commented: “Sometimes it´s just too much… we prepare all this and the least we can do to honor it is listening and being there in silence…” The incident was filmed and immediately produced for a three-minute video that w

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/samsung-smashes-haydn-in-gothenburg-6390/

International Piano – Nov/Dec 2013

Guest editor Stephen Hough curates this special edition of International Piano. Content highlights: The art of preluding: A look back at improvised introductions Alkan’s bicentenary: Celebrating neglected composer Charles-Valentin Alkan Larger than life: Anton Rubinstein’s piano prowess Of pianos and fortepianos: Unchartered sound worlds Lost generation: Careers cut short by tragedy Soviet style: Can notes can have a nationalistic identity? Symposium: The Second Viennese School Sheet music: Lullaby by Stephen Hough How to practise: Make time offstage worthwhile Piano Street Gold members have instant online access to the digital version of the magazine.

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/international-piano-novdec-2013-6376/

Steinway Sold: Code Name “Edelweiss” Outbid by a True Piano Lover

The calculation was rather simple — Mr. Paulson loves Steinway s pianos, so why not buy the whole company? Back in July, equity firm Kohlberg & Company, reached an agreement with Steinway to buy the company for $35 a share ($485 million). But piano enthusiast and billionaire John Paulson, presumably after reading Piano Street s post encouraging others to make an offer , began to pursue Steinway in earnest and read a book on the company to help bring himself up to speed. After finishing the book, Paulson surprised everyone by offering $38 a share on August 14. Kohlberg bowed out of the running, but later that day, a secret challenger turned up under code name Edelweiss with a raised bid of $39 a share. Not to be outdone, Paulson increased his bid to $40. Steinway declared him the winner, and the identity of the secret bidder Edelweiss was revealed. It was Samick Musical Instruments of South Korea, one of Steinway s biggest shareholders before the buyout. For terminating its prior agr

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/steinway-sold-code-name-edelweiss-outbid-by-a-true-piano-lover-6231/

Do We Judge Music by Sight More Than Sound?

During the summer several interesting articles that deal with the conception of audibility vs. visibility have been presented by international media. It may seem counterintuitive, but an expert from University College London, concert pianist and psychologist Chia-Jung Tsay has brought forth a theory that general physical appeal and visual aspects of performance are more important than actual playing in the judgment of musical competitions. In fact, experts polled as part of this study were given three musical examples of just the contestants playing and were asked to evaluate. The experts chose a consensus winner from among the recordings as the best musical performance; however, in many cases, their choice was not the eventual winner of the competition. The author notes that inferior playing won the day by looking more passionate, skillful and composed. The author conducted six other experiments in addition to the experts listening to recordings. Nrp.org: How To Win That Music Compet

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/articles/do-we-judge-music-by-sight-more-than-sound-6207/

Announce your Piano Recitals and Events at Piano Street

Following a recent discussion on the forum regarding whether or not to allow announcements of piano competitions, masterclasses and recitals, we have decided to open two new sub boards of the Miscellaneous section in order to provide room for relevant and non-commercial advertisements. Recitals http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?board=33.0 In line with Piano Street s mission to stimulate and promote live piano music performances, all members are welcome to post announcements and invitations to their upcoming piano recitals. While the global coverage of our member base will often make distance an issue if you want to attend a fellow member s recital, the 6.000+ daily unique visitor to pianostreet.com might hopefully lead to a few more people in the audience. Events http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?board=32.0 The event board is open for members and organisation managers to post information about piano competitions, masterclasses, courses and other piano related events.

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Yuja Wang at Verbier Festival 2013

In this 3 minute interview Yuja Wang tells us, among other things, the secret of her harmony between fingers and spirit: Interview video Interview Yuja Wang & Joshua Bell plays Beethoven s Kreutzer Sonata, 3rd mvt. Watch the 2013 Verbier Festival concerts in free replay on medici.tv!

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/video-picks/yuja-wang-at-verbier-festival-2013-6170/

Mr. John A. Paulson loves Steinway's pianos - buys the whole company!

John A. Paulson, the hedge fund billionaire, already owns three Steinway & Sons pianos: the medium model M grand, the larger model O and the nearly seven-foot-long model B, together worth tens of thousands of dollars. While Paulson & Company owns stakes in companies, it has never before bought one outright. But Mr. Paulson said that the calculation was rather simple — he loves the pianos.Mr. John A. Paulson loves Steinway's pianos - buys the whole company.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/08/14/paulson-agrees-to-buy-steinway-for-512-million/