Chamber music and pianists: seamless interaction, ensemble, and musical growth

Most piano students don't get ample opportunity to play piano trios, quartets, quintets, etc. because they're consumed with learning solo repertoire and developing their technical/musical skills. Thankfully, the ongoing Cliburn International Piano Competition, in progress, fills this common void by reminding us that chamber music is integral to the development of a well-rounded musician. It…

An Ear-grabbing Cliburn 2017 Piano Competition!

I couldn't tear myself from my big Mac, savoring a big serving of tantalizing musical artistry via Medici TV. The sparing LIVE performances that I'd ingested through the opening days of the celebrated Fort Worth-based Cliburn event, had been other worldly, though a few pyrotechnically efficient players, had, for me, not risen beyond note-perfect playing.…

Going into the Finals at the Alaska International Piano-E-Competition, and thoughts about COMPETING

Neither memory lapses nor occasional note slip-ups impeded any of the five selected Piano Finalists from forging ahead to the Chamber Music and Concerto Rounds of the Alaska-based E-Competition. My two particular favorites, Marianna Prjevalskaya and Alexey Chernov honored Schubert with gorgeous performances of the composer's A Major (D.959) and C minor Sonatas (D. 958),…

Alessandro Deljavan is a Cliburn winner for me!

Over at the Piano World forums, it's the morning after selection of Cliburn Competition finalists, and many are aghast that a dynamic, soulful, and risk-taking pianist was overlooked. Here's what one poster said: "Competition winners are typically the reliable pianists somewhere in the middle when it comes to interpretation--those who don't go out on a…

Seymour Bernstein’s riveting statement about the piano competition environment and what changes are needed

"Are all of you listening to one spectacular young pianist after another? (Cliburn Competition in progress) "Why should they have to be placed in the position of competing against one another, and facing the possibility of being rejected by a jury? It would be just absurd if a jury was chosen to decide who is…

More and more “piano” students are going Digital. Is it a good idea?

It's sad but true that a glut of former piano buyers who would have considered piano lessons for their children at age 7 or so, have made the choice to invest in a DIGITAL. (known as a DP) Of further testimony to the culture's relatively new fixation on electronic piano technology, are the 35,000 plus…