“The Greatest Pianist You’ve Never Heard Of”

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / 3 Comments / October 16, 2015

One of the marvels of our technological age is the possibility of new discoveries in musical arenas. Old records are being reissued and made more available than at any other time in history and archival

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Resources for Historical Piano Recordings

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / No Comments / May 27, 2015

If you are interested in purchasing recordings of the artists featured in my posts, the following sources may be useful – most of which are the labels themselves. I always suggest, if possible, that you

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The Valse Mélancolique

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / 3 Comments / December 31, 2012

For fans of great music, the possibility of a new discovery is always tantalizing. However, there are times when a work is misattributed – the famous ‘Albinoni Adagio’, for example, was written centuries after the

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CD Review: Benjamin Grosvenor’s “Rhapsody In Blue”

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / No Comments / September 24, 2012

The celebrated British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor has released the second CD in his much-publicized contract with Decca. After last year’s critically lauded solo disc featuring compositions by Chopin, Liszt, and Ravel, his new release focuses

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Commanding Nobility

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / 2 Comments / February 11, 2012

Rudolf Firkušný had the air of a warm-hearted diplomat. His elegant demeanour and refined presence came through both his playing and his interactions with the people in his life. The Czech pianist studied with

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Impassioned Elegance

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / 4 Comments / July 19, 2011

One of the mysteries of the musical world is how some performers make a huge name for themselves whereas others don’t. There are multiple factors which play into this, luck, attitude, sensitivity, and personality traits

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A Bold Debut Disc

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / 1 Comment / July 9, 2011

Benjamin Grosvenor’s highly anticipated first CD on Decca is issued in the UK on Monday July 11. The young pianist, who turned 19 a few days before the release, continues to play with the brilliant

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Expansive Precision

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / No Comments / March 20, 2011

When I first heard of Youri Egorov, it was in reference to my favourite pianist, Dinu Lipatti. I was reading a French dictionary of performers, and in the description under Egorov’s name it stated that

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Frenetic Intensity

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / No Comments / March 19, 2011

Vladimir Horowitz was an easy pianist for me to love when I was younger. His fingerwork was dazzling and he brought great excitement to his interpretations. As I came to appreciate other pianists’ playing and

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Glowing Reverence

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / No Comments / March 19, 2011

When I visited the soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf at her home outside of Zurich in 1992 as part of my research into Dinu Lipatti, she asked me about a recording Lipatti had made of the Bach-Busoni

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