MUSIC MEDITATIONS - Hommage à Rameau
Every concert season a new set of pieces becomes my program. I spend a good amount of time creating well crafted programs, and I especially love to offer thematic programming. Sometimes I exchange a few pieces for a specific venue, or I might add another group of pieces when a longer program is needed. Some of the works stay in my repertoire for several seasons, but many of them simply get forgotten to be re-discovered years later.
BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT - Rediscovering Piano Art Cases
Recently I got to revisit my favorite art case pianos. I love pianos and I love art, and of course the combination of both.
RETURNING TO LIVE CONCERTS - Switzerland 2020
Here we are - in the middle of a most unusual concert season. I feel incredibly lucky to return to Switzerland, a place that feels like a home away from home.
XIAN - Masterclass
I feel a great sense of connectedness during this time of the pandemic. It has been wonderful to plan and put together a master class in Xian, China where I was made honorary president of the JK Academy Conservatory in 2019.
My online life - LIVE STREAM CONCERTS and ONLINE FESTIVALS
What an inspiring Summer this is, filled with performances and festivals, lots of interviews and even some summer fun around town.
We just finished PIANO WEEK ONLINE EDITION, a piano festival headquartered in London with faculty and participants from all over the world.
Summer fun - ONLINE INTERVIEWS
My first summer highlight was sharing the virtual stage with my fellow international musicians for a fundraiser concert for UNICEF benefitting children in need. It was great fun to talk about the concert in a TV interview on WFMJ from my home studio.
MY TOP 10 Recordings
Every artist takes cues and influences from their surroundings. Listening to recordings is one of the most important cues in the development of an interpretation, a great tool for growth of one’s musicianship and technique.
Here are the ten recordings that influenced me most on my path as a musician.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 10: Argerich/Gaspard
The Lioness of the Piano! When I listened the first time to Gaspard de la Nuit I was in my early teens and it was Martha Argerich’s recording
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 9: Brendel/Schubert
Alfred Brendel would have to be very high on the list of pianists who had a big influence on me.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 8: Archerich/Bach
During my undergraduate years in Freiburg, Germany, I had a student subscription to a chamber music series featuring Martha Argerich relatively regularly.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 7: Sokolov/Prokofiev 7
Grigory Sokolov’s 1969 two CD set features a selection of the monuments of piano repertoire including Stravinsky’s Petruchka, Schumann’s Carnaval and Prokofiev’s 8th and 7th sonatas.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 6: Fischer/WTC
A gold standard recording of a set of pieces that are in themselves gold standards of music.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 5: Perahia/Songs Without Words
I love well programmed and thematic recordings, which is why I enjoy this 1999 CD of Murray Perahia so very much.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 4: Volodos/Carnegie Hall
Larger than life: Arcadi Volodos's Carnegie Hall debut recital in 1998. If you feel starved for live music, this is the album to hear.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 3: Fischer-Dieskau/Winterreise
If someone were to asked me, what recordings I would take to a lonely island, I would put on top of my list Franz Schubert’s song cycle “Winterreise”
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 2: Anda/Bartok
Growing up in Germany and moving through the music conservatory system meant playing lots of Bartòk
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 1: Kempff/Kinderszenen
When I was about 5 or 6 years old my mom and I began listening together to music. We just sat and listened
Mendelssohn Musings - LEICHT UND LUFTIG
Today I would like to share with you some thoughts (and a performance!) of a piece I have been working on. This one is quite a discovery for me
GONDOLIERA - a time away from it all
It is so important to stay strong in these times of uncertainty. We need to keep taking good care of ourselves as we care for our loved ones.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Since my last newsletter, the world around us has changed. All of our lives are impacted by the Corona Crisis. So is mine. Many of my Spring engagements had to be postponed, some even had to be cancelled.
