On Tempo Relationships
I was working with someone on Schubert’s B flat Impromptu last week, a set of variations on the so-called “Rosamunde” theme. Variation form always poses a tempo challenge to the…
Vandalising Mozart’s K. 331?
In 2014, an amazing discovery was made in the National Széchényi Library in Budapest – a four-page fragment of part of Mozart’s Sonata in A major, K. 331, in the…
How to Begin a New Piece: Part 1
In 2015 I published a series of what turned out to be six posts on how to begin a new piece. At this time of the year, many people are…
Flexibility in Pulse
I heard Chopin’s beautiful Waltz in A minor in a class the other day. The basic feeling, tempo, balance between the hands and the pedalling were extremely good, and there…
Thinking Aloud
The first time I listened to a recording of Glenn Gould it was late evening and I was alone in the house. I swore I could hear someone singing along…
Going into the Zone
There is a stage in the preparation of a recital programme when it is a very smart idea to play the whole thing through in its entirety in front of…
Some Historic Pianos
As I wind up my short tribute to the pianos of yesteryear, I want to mention two particular pianos that stand out in my memory. Last week, I wrote about…
The Analytic Memory
I have had several requests for an article on memorisation. Since I already wrote one last year for Pianist Magazine, entitled Mind Over Memory, I thought I would include it…