The April 2024 issue of BBC Music magazine carries a short but sweet review of my book Women and the Piano. As the text is too indistinct to read in the photo, this is what it says: 'Revealed within the pages of this elegantly written book by pianist and author Susan...
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Why are most concerts performed just once?
We were discussing the fact that there are so few concert reviews in the newspaper these days. Time was when most concerts in prestigious venues were reviewed the next day. But now there are few reviews. What gets covered? - the Proms, perhaps, and some special visits...
A belated review of ‘Out of Silence’
My 2010 book Out of Silence has received a decade-late review in American Record Guide - in the nicest possible way. Their reviewer Bruno Repp had written a long article about lesser-known piano music he thought readers would enjoy discovering. He ended with this...
Speaking the Piano is a ‘Books of the Year’ choice
Good news at the weekend about my book 'Speaking the Piano': it has been chosen as one of the Books of the Year by the Financial Times and by the Sunday Times. 'An all-embracing exploration of how to make music come alive' (Financial Times, 24 Nov 2018) 'Studded with...
First customer review of my book on Amazon
One never knows whether to fear or look forward to 'customer reviews' on Amazon. Ever since a couple of high-profile rows involving well-known authors hiding behind false names in order to rubbish their rivals' work on Amazon, we've all been alerted to the possibility...
Gramophone magazine review of Speaking the Piano
A fine book from an underrated pianist ‘When my biography of Leopold Godowsky was first published some thirty years ago [writes Jeremy Nicholas in Gramophone magazine], I prefaced the narrative with a quote from Confucius: "I do not seek to be known. I seek to be...
BBC Music: book review, July 2018
My book 'Speaking the Piano' was published last week, and by a happy coincidence on the same day it received a five-star review from Jessica Duchen in the July issue of BBC Music magazine. (see photo) 'Susan Tomes's insights as a performer and teacher are fully...
5-star ‘Winterplay’ review in The Scotsman
Winterplay - Beethoven concert, Queen's Hall, Edinburgh 'The dark days of February have been indelibly brightened by Winterplay, a new weekend chamber music festival curated by pianist Susan Tomes. With workshops for children and concerts featuring teenage talent and...
Herald review of Milngavie 75th anniversary concert
Four stars from The Herald today for my Glasgow concert with Jamie MacDougall and the Maxwell Quartet, marking the 75th anniversary of Milngavie Music Club with a very special programme: 'To mark the club's 75th birthday, current president Hugh Macdonald introduced a...
Five-star ‘Scotsman’ review of my Queen’s Hall solo recital
I haven't written anything here for a while because I have been busy preparing for a big solo recital programme last Thursday in the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh (and for several 'run-up' concerts in different parts of the country). All went well, and after a very happy...
Reviews: how can we quote them if the press doesn’t print them?
Two recent topics of conversation have come together in my mind to prompt a question. Topic 1: the number of classical concert reviews is shrinking rapidly. Everyone in the profession has noticed it. Many newspapers are reducing the number of classical reviews they...
Reviews of the Mosaiques weekend, Perth
A great weekend of music-making in Perth Concert Hall with the Quatuor Mosaiques came to an end yesterday with fabulous five-star reviews in The Herald and The Scotsman. During the residency we had the privilege of staying in Methven Castle with its delightful...
LCMS review of my book
Excerpt from a review of my book 'Sleeping in Temples', in the newsletter of the London Chamber Music Society (you can download the whole newsletter from their site). 'I don't usually 'judge a book by its cover', but in this case the cover is a lovely place to start:...
The changing status of reviews
The news that Alex Ross is now the only full-time classical music critic on an American magazine has got me thinking about the changing status of reviews. Gone are the days when an 'important' concert would routinely be reviewed by all the major papers. When I was a...
Edward Greenfield: a word of appreciation
Sad news that Edward Greenfield has died. He was senior music critic of The Guardian for many years, and a longstanding contributor to Gramophone magazine. Although 'Ted' was a professional critic, it always seemed to me that he was determined to accentuate the...