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.

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/site-news/announce-your-piano-recitals-and-events-at-piano-street-6188/

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/

Super Mario on Piano -– The Czerny Studies of Our Time?

Are there any pianists out there who have never played studies by Czerny as part of their training? Probably not many. But why not practice video game music in order to develop a more contemporary piano technique?

Read more and get hold of some piano sheet music for Super Mario!

Franz Liszt – 200th Anniversary

Today, October 22 2011, marks the 200th birthday of Franz Liszt, the greatest piano virtuoso of his time, inventor of the modern piano recital and one of the most influential composers of the 19th century.
Piano Street here presents a collection of material, piano sheet music and links to resources for you to enjoy in order to commemorate the great Franz Liszt.

Happy birthday, Franz!


Visit the Franz Liszt 200 years tribute at pianostreet.com

Can you do the Beethoven G Major concerto blind test?

The first movement of Beethoven’s 4th concerto opens with the solo piano, playing simple chords in the tonic key before coming to rest on a dominant chord. Can recognize who is who of the 10 famous pianists in this recording?

http://www.pianostreet.com/blog/video-picks/can-you-do-the-beethoven-g-major-concerto-blind-test-3587/