‘I was swallowing the piano whole’: Stephen Hough reflects on his life as a prodigy and encounters with Jimmy Savile.
The legendary concert pianist describes falling in love with the instrument and bugging his parents for lessons in an excerpt from his forthcoming childhood book, as well as the fraud…
Unveiled: the tumultuous, aggressive realm of the youthful J.S. Bach
John Eliot Gardiner’s research has shattered ‘sanitised’ versions of the composer’s life Johann Sebastian Bach is arguably the greatest of all composers, with the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B…
Musical Homages to the Titanic: Seven Melodic Tributes
How composers have memorialised the events of 15 April 1912. Whether intended as memorial pieces, depictions of the tragedy, or something more abstract, the sinking of the Titanic has moved…
Top Five Must-Listen Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B minor Written as a job application, Bach’s sublime Mass, written over two decades, is a rich feast of superb orchestration and dizzying vocal textures. Recommended recording: Véronique Gens,…
Park Performance: George Harliono, an 11-Year-Old Piano Prodigy’s Astonishing Play
If you love the piano, you’ve probably heard of George Harliono. If you haven’t and love beautiful music, you should check out his channel. George started playing the piano when…
The 5-year-old prodigy plays her own jazz composition
Elina Martirosyan is a five-year-old musical prodigy. She has been writing and performing new jazz standards since she was four years old. Elina was born into a musical family in…
Which Musical Instruments Did Beethoven Master?
Beethoven’s date of birth meant that he was destined to live between two major eras of musical history; the Classical and the Romantic. He was born in Bonn, Germany, in…
Top-notch Performances of JS Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier
In her search for the best keyboard solo recordings of Bach’s large sets of preludes and fugues, Kate Bolton-Porciatti traverses all the major and minor keys. Bach’s collection of 48…
Valentina Irlando: Exceptional Musician, Mastering Piano and Cello Despite Rare Muscle Disease
Valentina Irlando is an Italian musician best known for her viral videos playing both the cello and the piano. Her inspirational story has caught the attention and hearts of millions…
Senior Citizen Plays Pure Musical Magic on the Public Piano
Look at this moment Brendan Kavanagh, a pianist on YouTube, “pianobombs” an elderly guy playing on a public piano. Nowadays, there are very few public spaces without some type of…