by Mark Ainley /
Feature / Recordings /
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August 9, 2022
The British pianist Solomon Cutner (primarily known just as Solomon) was born August 9, 1902, making this his 120th birthday. While I have long planned a comprehensive page with detailed biographical material, this anniversary caught
Severin Eisenberger
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July 24, 2022
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We are fortunate and privileged to be able to hear the playing of many esteemed musicians born and trained in the 19th century, including some who chose not to record officially. It can be hard
The Piano Files at 13
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July 8, 2022
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On the 13th anniversary of my Facebook page, I thought I would share some of the highlights of this past year’s activities at The Piano Files. When I started the page, it was the early
Jacqueline Eymar at 100
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June 30, 2022
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Jacqueline Eymar was born June 23, 1922, making this year her centenary. Unfortunately this event seems to have been overlooked, just as she as a pianist has been largely neglected despite a not-insignificant number of
Walter Gieseking In The Movies
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April 29, 2022
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Some wonderful and quite fascinating pianism here: Walter Gieseking playing a portion of the Tchaikovsky Concerto and the final minutes of Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata, taken from a 1948 German movie.
Gieseking provided the ample piano excerpts
Harold Bauer: On Film and On The Radio
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April 28, 2022
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Harold Bauer was born 149 years ago and I am celebrating him with two wonderful clips: brief film footage of the wonderful British pianist playing the Chickering Double Keyboard Piano in 1928 and a radio
Alfred Cortot plays Beethoven
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April 14, 2022
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Alfred Cortot had a long career with the gramophone, having produced a vast amount of solo, chamber, and concerto recordings over the course of four decades (with some overlooked discs accompanying soprano Félia Litvinne predating
Bartók The Pianist
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March 23, 2022
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Bartók playing at the Proms in London in 1936
The legendary composer Béla Bartók was a superb pianist, but his standing as an interpreter has often been overlooked due to his fame as a composer. Those
Walking Up the Mountain Track – An Enlightening Publication
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December 2, 2021
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The greatest performers in musical history were focused on their craft from the context of a wider landscape – they were more than ‘performers’, weaving their musical expression on a much wider canvas than is
Géza Anda at 100
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November 18, 2021
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Hungarian-born pianist Géza Anda was born 100 years ago, on November 19, 1921. In his short life he achieved international recognition, particularly for his 1960s cycle of Mozart Concertos on the Deutsche Grammophon label; his