So I recently came into possession of an upright piano, the first acoustic piano I’ve had in my residence in about, oh, five years. Until the pandemic hit, I had mainly practiced at generous churches that let me use their instruments. More recently, I got a very serviceable electric keyboard that became a lifeline in... Continue Reading →
Classical music is kind of creepy in a way. Honestly, with so many dead composers who have made an impact on society, and who led lives of drama, I’m surprised that I couldn’t find more composer ghost stories. The ghost of Erik Satie watches a performance of Gymnopédie No. 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDm_P3mDIRo One day I was... Continue Reading →
Hungarian publisher EMB has recently released a piano collection called Wolf-Temperiertes Klavier (Wolf-Tempered Clavier) by composer Peter Wolf. In a further evocation of Bach and The Well-Tempered Clavier, the cover features part of a Bach portrait. Mr. Wolf himself also gets a little photo. It’s all very mysterious. Is this a cycle of preludes and... Continue Reading →
Just three posts after writing about Ludovico Einaudi, I’m covering Karl Jenkins. In case you’re alarmed at my swerving into the mainstream, don’t worry. I’ll be back to investigating Scriabin deep cuts and making lofty rankings soon enough. The truth is, these classical “crossover” artists are making up a larger and larger portion of print... Continue Reading →
It’s safe to say that people are experiencing classical music differently today than in the past. The internet has put music resources immediately at hand that would have been unthinkable even twenty years ago. I can search for a really obscure piece of classical music on YouTube or whatever, and chances are I’ll be able... Continue Reading →
Ludovico Einaudi writes quiet, simple, meditative music, mostly for piano. And he’s a global phenomenon. He sold out seven nights at the Barbican in London. His latest album, Seven Days Walking: Day One, achieved two million online streams on its release day, making it the fastest streamed classical album of all time. Meanwhile, from my... Continue Reading →
Hal Leonard Classical Piano Blog 