Blog
I’ve been writing this blog since 2009, but there still seem to be plenty of interesting topics to mull over. You can subscribe (it’s free) to follow the blog by email – each new post will pop into your inbox.
A travelling force
I've been reading An Angel at my Table, the autobiography of New Zealand writer Janet Frame. It's an unusual and absorbing read. Janet Frame grew up without much access to music, but when she first came across classical music she loved it. Gradually she gathered some...
Search the Blog
Get The Latest Posts
Interested in what Susan has to say about all things classical music? Subscribe below and whenever Susan writes a new blog post you will be notified by email. Simple!
Measuring-sticks and ‘the canon’
I learned something the other day when visiting the Hunterian Art Gallery in Glasgow. In one of the rooms, there was an explanatory sign (see photo) about the word 'canon', meaning a collection of works recognised as being of enduring value and importance. I had never...
Tickets go on sale for my Wigmore recital in April
Tickets have just gone on sale for my lunchtime recital at Wigmore Hall in London on Friday April 17. Click here for booking information. As you'll read on the Wigmore Hall website, the concert marks the publication of my book on the history of the nocturne. To give a...
My own favourite reads of the year
Inspired by the idea of 'Books of the Year' (see blog post below this one), I have been making my own selection of the books I most enjoyed during the year. Short Stories: Anything is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout. The first book I read in 2018 and one of the finest....
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...
Robert Philip’s new book: a playlist and an interview
As I'm the one with the website, I'm helping to do some publicity about my husband Robert Philip's epic study of orchestral music, The Classical Music Lover's Companion to Orchestral Music, just out from Yale University Press (see photo of the author with his book)....
Jazz and its women instrumentalists
In my new book Speaking the Piano, there's a chapter about the time I went to America in the 1980s to learn jazz piano. I loved learning about jazz, but didn't find a way into the jazz world at that time. One of the reasons was my feeling of discomfort at being a...
Robert Philip’s ‘Companion to Orchestral Music’
It's a great moment in our household because my husband Robert Philip's epic study of orchestral music is about to be published by Yale University Press. Pre-ordered copies have started to land on people's doormats, probably with a thud. The Classical Music Lover's...
Australian radio ‘The Music Show’ interview
This Sunday morning, 14 October, ABC radio in Australia is broadcasting a substantial interview with me on 'The Music Show', presented by composer Andrew Ford. We were talking about my book 'Speaking the Piano'. The interview was recorded with me in Edinburgh and...
A little knowledge
I was doing a radio interview the other day about my new book 'Speaking the Piano.' While waiting in the studio, I got chatting to the man on duty in reception. I was holding a copy of my book. He asked me what it was about, so I told him it was about learning music....
Email, instant messaging and the whirligig of time
I was complaining last week to a fellow musician about the difficulty of getting students to reply to emails. 'You'd think they would reply to email precisely because it's so easy to click on 'reply' and write a few words', I said. 'I have exactly the same problem',...
Why go on having tuition when you’ve ‘finished training’?
I've been in London coaching young post-grad and professional chamber groups for ChamberStudio, a wonderful enterprise which provides mentorship and further training for instrumentalists who have 'finished studying' but still need or wish to have access to advice and...
A collection of photos on Guardian Witness
For over a year I've enjoyed contributing weather-related photos to the Guardian newspaper via their 'Witness' site, which invited readers to send in images that captured the 'feel' of the month. Several times I've been lucky enough to have one of my photos chosen by...
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s ‘Childhood Memories’
I've been reading the 'Childhood Memories' (published 1958) of Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa, the Sicilian aristocrat and author of 'The Leopard', an award-winning Italian novel published posthumously and later made into a film starring Burt Lancaster. Lampedusa's...
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...