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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.
News of my eighth book
The manuscript of my new book has been accepted by my publisher, Yale University Press, and I'm delighted to be able give you some news of it. (It's due to be published in March 2026.) The book is called Nocturnes and the Fascination of Night Music. It's essentially a...
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Tasting notes
Bob went to the wine shop and returned with a few bottles and a page of 'tasting notes' supplied by the shop. As usual I was charmed by the poetic way that wine producers describe their products. 'Notes of ripe, dark fruit, tobacco, chocolate and spice'. 'Delicate...
Wordsworth windows
On Wednesday I played a solo recital in Ambleside Church as part of the Lake District Summer Music festival. My programme contained six pieces by the female pianist-composers whose work I have been performing in the past couple of years. In the context, I was touched...
Page-turners vs iPads
Since my last post, I've heard from a number of fellow pianists who don't play from memory because they specialise in song recitals or chamber music, and have a vast and ever-changing repertoire. They point out that one good reason to experiment with playing from an...
OK to play from music if gadget involved
Yesterday BBC Music Magazine tweeted that pianist Artur Pizarro had played a concert in which he read from the music, using an iPad to display the notes. It's one of several recent reports about classical musicians using the score, reading from an electronic gadget of...
The Still Pond
Spring seems to be arriving late this year, but my favourite spot in London for spring colours, the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park, is defying the cold weather and starting to look fabulous. Whoever planted the azaleas here was a genius of gardening. This year...
The Guardian Guide to Festivals
".... your ultimate companion to a summer of music", says today's Guardian Guide to Festivals. But is it? Not if classical music is your thing. I subscribe to the Guardian, look forward to reading it every day and love it to bits, but every year when they publish...
‘Reinventing Bach’ by Paul Elie
American author Paul Elie thinks that Bach is particularly well placed to flourish in the age of recording because of the nature of his music. And he feels that Bach, a practical and inventive person, would have approved of all this technological innovation. Read my...
I have joined Twitter
I've just signed up for Twitter. My Twitter username is @susantomespiano and there's a 'follow me on Twitter' button on the left-hand side of this page. It's daunting, because I already feel I'm drowning in email. But the younger generation keeps telling me I really...
Saturday Classics on Radio 3 this weekend
On Saturday 11 May I'm presenting an edition of BBC Radio 3's Saturday Classics programme from 2-4pm, with my choice of recordings. There's some Fauré, Schumann, Chopin, Saint-Saens, Josef Strauss, Billy Mayerl, a couple of pieces of Mozart, and the Bill Evans Trio...
YouTube video
Watch the new YouTube video which is linked to the album of Mozart piano and violin sonatas played by me and Erich Höbarth. The live recordings were made at concerts in Perth last year and have just become available as an e-album. You'll hear a short excerpt from the...
Mozart e-album goes live
My e-album of Mozart Sonatas for piano and violin, made with the wonderful Erich Höbarth, goes live today. You can buy it from CD Baby, and also from iTunes, Amazon, and lots of other download sites like Google Music Store, Shazam, Nokia, Rhapsody and MediaNet. You...
Saturday Classics
I'm going to the BBC tomorrow to record an episode of 'Saturday Classics', which I'm presenting on Saturday 11 May from 3-5pm on Radio 3. Each week a different presenter chooses two hours' worth of classical recordings and chats about their selections. The presenter...
‘Out of Silence’ available on Kindle
The Boydell Press writes to say that my book 'Out of Silence' is now available on Kindle. It seems to have leaped straight from hardback to Kindle without going through the paperback stage. Everything is changing! Details of the Kindle edition are here. I feel...
Cobbett Medal presentation
Here I am in Stationers' Hall, one of the beautiful old Guild Halls in the City of London, on the evening of the Cobbett Medal presentation. It was a slightly dreamlike experience, to be ushered into a solemn and formal room in which the 'Court' of the Worshipful...