by Mark Ainley /
Feature / Recordings /
2 Comments /
July 24, 2022
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
2 Comments /
July 8, 2022
/
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
No Comments /
June 30, 2022
/
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
Alfred Cortot plays Beethoven
3 Comments /
April 14, 2022
/
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
1 Comment /
March 23, 2022
/
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
No Comments /
December 2, 2021
/
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
1 Comment /
November 18, 2021
/
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
György Cziffra at 100
No Comments /
November 6, 2021
/
The 100th anniversary of the birth on November 5, 1921 of György Cziffra provides an opportunity to consider the true nature of one of the most misunderstood of pianists. His capacity to play the most
Celebrating Ernest Hutcheson
No Comments /
July 20, 2021
/
The Australian-born pianist Ernest Hutcheson was born 150 years ago, on July 20, 1871.
Hutcheson had studied under Carl Reinecke (who studied with Mendelssohn, Schumann and Liszt), Bernhard Stavenhagen (a pupil of Liszt) and Bruno Zwintscher
Hilda Bor
3 Comments /
July 16, 2021
/
A wartime concert in the series organized by Bor
Yet another pianist I’d never heard of showed up in a YouTube upload recently and I was stunned by the playing. The artist was one Hilda Bor, a