by Mark Ainley /
Feature / Recordings /
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January 31, 2021
There are many great pianists whose performing careers for a variety of reasons did not sustain the promise of their early years, and a good number of them became distinguished teachers whose influence on musical
Favourite Releases of 2020
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January 16, 2021
I regularly state that we are living in the best time for the availability of historical recordings (I’ve actually been saying this since the 1990s), and 2020 was no exception. With the vast majority of
Clara Haskil: 60 Years Later
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January 7, 2021
Clara Haskil died on December 7, 1960 as a result of injuries sustained in a fall at Brussels train station. She was only 65 at the time. The Romanian pianist had languished in obscurity for
Dinu Lipatti: 70 Years Later
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December 2, 2020
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Dinu Lipatti’s death on December 2, 1950, a collection of commercial and unofficial recordings arranged in a recital format.
My own introduction to Lipatti’s playing came in 1985, when
Dearly Departed
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December 1, 2020
For World AIDS Day today, Stephen Hough posted on his Twitter feed today (click here) my upload of Villa’s jaw-dropping account of Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata (click here for the recording), a private recording of a
Wilhelm Kempff at 125
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November 27, 2020
On the 125th anniversary of Wilhelm Kempff’s birth, I offer a very brief selection of some recordings made throughout his long career.
Kempff in 1931
Kempff’s name was one of the most visible in record stores for
Take Note: A Conversation with Müzewest Concerts and The Piano Files with Mark Ainley
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October 10, 2020
On September 27, 2020 I had a wonderful conversation about piano performance and interpretation with Jennifer West, artistic director of the local Müzewest Concerts and a big piano aficionado. Our conversation covered a lot of
A Tribute to Allan Evans
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September 11, 2020
Pianophile and recording historian/researcher Allan Evans passed away on June 6 at far too young an age. Evans played a particularly active role in bringing attention to the playing of the great Polish pianist Ignaz
Beyond The Concert Hall: In Conversation
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August 27, 2020
I recently had a wonderful conversation with Leila Getz of the Vancouver Recital Society. She has run this organization for over 40 years, featuring both established and the latest up-and-coming artists. Leila has always had
Rosa Tamarkina In Memoriam
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August 5, 2020
Having only just realized that today is the 70th anniversary of the death of Rosa Tamarkina, I am quickly preparing this commemorative post with some representative recordings and basic biographical information that will then be