piano

Beethoven: 12 Variations in A major, WoO 71

Beethoven, 12 Variations on “Das Waldmädchen”, WoO 71 — comparing recordings with the following artists: Emil Gilels (1968), Vladimir Ashkenazy (2006), Olli Mustonen (1993), Ronald Brautigam (2010)

Yulianna Avdeeva in Warsaw, 2010

After Yulianna Avdeeva’s success at the Chopin competition 2010 in Warsaw, but even more so after the award ceremony in which she received the first prize (…), I was totally overwhelmed and deeply moved by her interpretations. Only then I realized the true value and depth of her art…

Encounters with Yulianna Avdeeva

(…) Yulianna at that time had just finished her concert diploma and had since become Prof. Scherbakov’s assistant (which presumably consists of filling in for him when he was away for concerts or for a recording session). This is now 3 years ago, and she has evolved as a pianist quite dramatically since then…

What Makes up a Good Music Teacher?

So much depends on having a good music teacher! I’m not competent to argue whether all of us are born with the talent to become musicians, or at least to love music and to play an instrument well, or whether some or even most of it is a matter of one’s genes, or maybe the consequence of influences / experiences at a very early (maybe even pre-natal) stage — however, for sure, a bad teacher can ruin a lot in one’s musical life! …

Encounters with Music Instruments

… in a family with 5 boys. My mother had been playing recorder when she was young. I remember that she had 2 – 3 recorders (alto and soprano). With 5 boys there was very little chance for quiet times to play — and for the instruments to survive! Once we got our hands on these instruments, we ruined them quickly by biting into the mouthpiece, destroying the labium with screwdrivers or needles, etc. …