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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.
Mozart’s birthday (etc)
Today, January 27, is Mozart's birthday. 269 years since he was born! His is the only 'composer birthday' I regularly remember, I suppose because he is still my favourite composer despite stiff competition from about 25 others. I remember his birthday for its own sake...
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A competition for concertos
I spent the past couple of days popping in and out of the first round of the Concerto Class held each year by the Edinburgh Music Competition Festival. The Concerto Class is strictly for amateurs; those who get to the final are given the opportunity to play their...
Listening bars
In today's Guardian I was reading about the Japanese tradition of 'listening bars', where customers have 'a deep, beautiful, reverential attitude to listening to music'. High-end sound systems, sometimes dominating a whole wall, convey every layer of a recorded album...
Christmas Oratorio
Last night I went with friends to a performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Originally the six cantatas which comprise the 'Christmas Oratorio' were designed to be performed one at a time, in one or other of the two Leipzig churches with which Bach was associated,...
Books of the Year in today’s Herald
Today the Herald has an arts supplement with Books of the Year 2016 chosen by various guest selectors. Broadcaster Sheena McDonald has chosen my book 'Sleeping in Temples' as one of her books of the year: 'What makes a successful concert pianist? The...
American violinist Ida Levin
It is very sad news that the American violinist Ida Levin has lost her battle with leukaemia. Ida was devoted to the International Musicians' Seminars in Prussia Cove, Cornwall. I met her there when she came to study with Sandor Vegh. He immediately liked her and her...
Stir-up Sunday and Christmas cake
Today I'm making my Christmas cake, a few days ahead of 'Stir-up Sunday' which is, I believe, this coming Sunday. It's a traditional day for families to get together to make steamed Christmas puddings, and in these days when most households have their own ovens, baked...
A question and answer from 1976
Clearing out old files this week I came across an article called 'A Talk with Gyorgy Sebok', from a 1976 edition of Piano Quarterly. It was an interview of the Hungarian piano guru Gyorgy Sebok by a colleague, pianist Seth Carlin. Sebok taught in Indiana University;...
Wigtown Book Festival
Yesterday I spoke about my book 'Sleeping in Temples' at the Wigtown Book Festival (see photo), a merry gathering in 'Scotland's Book Town' in the rolling hills of Dumfries and Galloway. Arriving there for the first time in driving rain and wind wasn't the perfect...
Leaping ivories
The weather has been extremely humid lately and my piano doesn't like it. I have a little device which registers the temperature and humidity; for weeks it has been announcing the humidity as 75%. I have an older piano with ivory key coverings (newer pianos have...
Cerne Abbas Music Festival 2016
I'm back from the 26th annual festival of the Gaudier Ensemble in Dorset. Over the years this gathering of chamber music specialists from around Europe has come to feel quite special. As our lives have become increasingly complicated, it feels remarkable that each...
The chance to do a run of concerts
On Tuesday the Guardian had an article about the growing number of stand-up comedians who bring a 'work in progress' to the Edinburgh Fringe instead of a fully-developed show. During their run, which could be anything up to three weeks, they 'develop' the show, which...
Edinburgh International Book Festival
On a night when the brilliant Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov was playing at the Usher Hall as part of the Edinburgh Festival, it was not to be expected that any piano fans would still be available to come to the Edinburgh Book Festival to hear my talk, which clashed...
Classical music post-Brexit
This morning there was a discussion on Radio 4 about the response of the arts in the UK to the Brexit vote. Contributors rightly said that there is much we can and must do to understand who we are, what are the social issues facing us, how can we forge a constructive...
What’s in a title?
I haven't written much recently because I seem to have turned into a 'news junkie' following the UK's vote to Brexit. I did write a blog post about Brexit, but it attracted no responses so I went back to reading newspapers and law blogs. Many other music organisations...