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.
The Pianoforte Recital – then and now
The other day I came across an article called 'The Pianoforte Recital'. It was published in The Musical Times in 1911 - over a century ago. The author, Frederick Kitchener (himself a pianist), complained that piano recitals had become far too numerous, and that...
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Keyboards for smaller hands
Last night I appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, discussing my latest book with broadcaster Kate Molleson (see picture of me turning away from the piano after playing one of the pieces we were talking about). Conversation turned to the idea of...
Egyptian friezes unfrozen
To Sadler’s Wells to see the Tanztheater Wuppertal, Pina Bausch’s dance company. Sadly I never saw them while Pina Bausch was still alive (she died last year). The audience was packed with dancers, or at least that was how I interpreted the fact that there were so...
An extra hour in bed
The clocks went back last night, and we all had an extra hour in bed. This should have been ideal at the end of a day of recording Shostakovich. Recording is an arduous process and I was looking forward to relaxing when it was all over. But could I take advantage of...
Completing our Shostakovich CD
This weekend, the Florestan Trio is recording the first piano trio by Shostakovich, a student work of the composer's. We're adding it to a Shostakovich disc which we recorded a little while ago, and the whole CD will come out in the New Year on the Hyperion label. On...
BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert today
Today, 27 October, at 1pm on Radio 3 you can hear the broadcast of a bassoon and piano recital given by Rachel Gough, the excellent principal bassoon of the London Symphony Orchestra, and me. The concert was part of a series at LSO St Luke's in the City of London,...
Pooling information
Yesterday, when I was coaching at King's Place, we had a tea break between sessions. Some of the younger participants were airing their current dilemmas about fees and conditions. In particular, they were wondering aloud about their situation as young professionals:...
Searching for unknown gems
Inspired by a couple of recent articles about writers who were well-known in their lifetimes and forgotten afterwards, or never acknowledged at the time but discovered years later by accident (like Hans Keilson), I’ve been researching unusual repertoire in the hope of...
Contemplating winter
It's getting cold... When I was out for a walk on a chilly morning this week and saw this little round creature staring into the lake, I felt I was seeing a kindred spirit.
Tuesday masterclass at RCM
On Tuesday morning, 19 October, I'm giving a masterclass in 'the art of piano chamber music' in the Recital Hall of the Royal College of Music in South Kensington from 10am-1pm. Tickets are free, but you have to book them via this link or by calling the RCM box office...
CBC ‘In concert’ interview on Sunday
The third and final instalment of my readings from 'Out of Silence' is aired tomorrow by Canadian Broadcasting's 'In Concert' programme. I'll be reading one short chapter from my book, and I'll also be chatting with 'In Concert' host Bill Richardson. They'll be...
ChamberStudio at King’s Place
I’m excited about Sunday, my first day of teaching at ChamberStudio, the new venture at King’s Place in London. ChamberStudio offers high-level coaching for post-graduate and young professional chamber groups who don’t have access to regular tuition any more. As...
Music degrees and earning power
Bemused by all the talk about university degrees and their supposed link to salaries. Lord Browne’s report seems to assume that if you go to university you will inevitably have more earning power than non-graduates in the years ahead. In the performing arts, however,...
In Constable country
To East Bergholt in Suffolk for a concert with the Florestan Trio. The artist John Constable was born in East Bergholt, and used to walk through the fields to school in Dedham. He later said it was that landscape which inspired him to become a painter. Before the...