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…

My side-by-side harpsichord/piano chat with Elaine Comparone in her NYC musical sanctuary

My visit with Elaine Comparone, harpsichordist, was the first of my musical treats after touching down in hometown New York. While the weather was a bit gray and unseasonable, Maestra Elaine lifted my spirits with her impeccably beautiful reading of Bach's D minor concerto. Soon enough, it was recorded in full force with ensemble on…

Piano “Competitions”–Do we need them?

The word "competition" in the realm of music-making doesn't work for me. Those who serve the poetry of music and view technique, not as athletically driven, but as a means to a higher artistic end can be offended by glitzy, media-hyped productions that show young Asian, American, Russian, etc. flowers of youth posing for thumbnail…

Another musical treasure by Samuel Maykapar

(The above manuscript is sourced from Rada Bukhman's Discovering Color Behind the Keys: The Essence of the Russian School of Piano Playing) http://youtu.be/xfiO7uXk9CM "Waltz" is a charming composition worth every bit of baby-step practicing. While it looks easy on the surface, the pedaling carefully noted by the composer, is a significant challenge. It does not…

A Journey down memory lane

A timely posting in advance of my Big Apple touchdown

Capturing the first sunrise in our practicing and performing

I always ponder the process of learning a new piece and how I want to experience and re-experience a freshness that seems to come with my earliest exposure to the printed page. As I set out my fingering, isolate lines or voices, in a Bach Three Part invention, for example, or even within the Adagio…

An interview with Rada Bukhman, pianist, teacher, author, about the “Russian School of Piano Playing”

Rada Bukhman, a Vancouver-based piano teacher with native Russian roots, has produced a 212-page soft cover volume that entices with its interspersed selections of compositions at various learning levels. The text offers a variety of fascinating topics, "Developing Initial Musical Skills: on the Nature and Development of a Musical Ear, on Rhythm, Preparatory Stage, Sight-Reading"…

Artful piano playing: Rising above the notes by “feeling,” singing, and “shaping” phrases

Burmguller's "Sincerity," Op. 100 is the perfect vehicle for spinning limpidly beautiful phrases. But how does the pianist go beyond what appears to be strings of 8th notes that can easily sound typed out. To avoid the ponderous, vertical approach to these semi-quavers, a set of baby-step preliminaries can nurse along a heartfelt, well-"shaped" musical…

What pianists can learn from opera singers

As pianists, we're allied to opera singers and their creative process in more ways than we think.

Interpreting piano music: Should we truly realize the composer’s intent?

Matters of interpretation came up at the "Y" Gym yesterday when I bumped into the pianist from a North Berkeley house of worship. Aline is a fine musician who intersperses the service with great masterworks. Recently she played Grieg's "Wedding March" during the basket-passing which lifted spirits as it amassed $$$$. At that very instant,…