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

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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

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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

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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

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