Aristocratic Poise: An Appreciation of Benno Moiseiwitsch

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 2 Comments / June 26, 2020

We live today in an age of exaggerated showmanship, where many less cultivated pianists believe that they must demonstrate emotion rather than convey it directly through their playing. The demeanour of Benno Moiseiwitsch was, by

Continue Reading

Dinu Lipatti plays Beethoven

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Preview / Recordings / 1 Comment / June 22, 2020

A new CD set featuring Lipatti’s London studio recordings and some rare treasures A new CD set has come out that is the culmination of an early discovery at the beginning of my research into unknown

Continue Reading

Jan Smeterlin plays Chopin

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Preview / Recordings / Uncategorized / 2 Comments / June 19, 2020

I am delighted to have written the liner notes for a superb new release of Jan Smeterlin’s incredible 1954 recording of Chopin’s Nocturnes, which also features some other recordings in the two-disc set. Here is

Continue Reading

Claudio Arrau plays Liszt (literally) in 1935

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 4 Comments / May 29, 2020

A phenomenal series of uploads was made to YouTube in 2020: 3 clips of the legendary Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau in a 1935 Mexican movie in which he portrays Franz Liszt! The film ‘Sueños de

Continue Reading

Remembering Joseph Villa

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 5 Comments / April 13, 2020

On the 25th anniversary of the death of the great American pianist Joseph Villa, I am creating this page dedicated to him and his artistry. The passing of this great pianist on April 13, 1995

Continue Reading

World Piano Day 2020

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / No Comments / March 28, 2020

Happy World Piano Day! This celebratory day is held on the 88th day of the year (nice idea, since the piano has 88 keys), which is usually March 29 – but since we had Leap Year

Continue Reading

Dame Myra Hess

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / No Comments / February 25, 2020

Our perceptions of many artists are formed by the recordings we’ve heard, biographical details that have been publicized, and photographs that we’ve seen – and as always, while these can give us a snapshot of

Continue Reading

Musings on Recordings, Concerts, Performance, and Interpretation

by Mark Ainley / Feature / 9 Comments / February 10, 2020

His Master’s Voice Recording technology has had a profound impact on the musical world. Before we could preserve sound documents, music needed to be played and heard (ie, experienced) ‘live’, whether in the home, a salon,

Continue Reading

The Magnificent Marian Filar

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / No Comments / December 31, 2019

It is a sad reality that a great many supremely gifted musicians did not have careers that their talent might have warranted, with some of these great musicians having had to face some tremendous adversity.

Continue Reading

Jascha Spivakovsky: A Romantic Rediscovered

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 2 Comments / November 1, 2019

Our appreciation of pianists of the past is based primarily on their recordings. How amazing that in this age of digital technology we can listen to the actual playing of pianists born and trained in

Continue Reading