1950s – The Piano Files

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

A Chopin Celebration

by Mark Ainley / Recordings / 4 Comments / March 1, 2018

Chopin was born on this day in 1810 – or at least this day is what is generally referred to as his birthday: although February 22nd was apparently entered in the baptismal register, March 1st

Twilight of a God

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / No Comments / April 23, 2012

Alfred Cortot’s name is sometimes uttered with disdain for his technical ability at the keyboard. It is indeed a fact that some of Cortot’s performances have wrong notes, something that our sanitized ears today are

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

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

Eloquent Bravura

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

When I visited London a couple of years ago, I went to see Jonathan Summers at the National Library. He is a walking dictionary about the piano and great pianists, and always has some interesting

Refined Precision

by Mark Ainley / Uncategorized / 1 Comment / March 19, 2011

Geza Anda was most known for his performance of the complete Mozart Piano Concertos, particularly as his recording of the second movement of the beautiful C Major Concerto K.467 had been chosen for the popular

Dinu Lipatti: The Chopin Concerto Scandal

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / No Comments / March 19, 2011

In 1966, EMI issued a previously unknown recording of Chopin’s Piano Concerto #1 in E Minor featuring the pianist Dinu Lipatti. No orchestra or conductor was named. On the record jacket of the British release

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