There is nothing more irritating to reporters and music aficionados than a superstar who makes himself unavailable. For well over 30 years, Radu Lupu basically refused to talk to the press. As such he was termed a “woolly recluse,” referring

Giacomo Puccini lived life to its fullest. He loved fine cigars, expensive spirits, and fell in love at the drop of a hat. He was an addicted gambler and hunter and loved nothing more than fast cars and speedboats. Puccini

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 has the reputation of being one of the most technically challenging piano concertos in the piano repertoire. It first sounded on 28 November 1909 in New York City with

Shinichi Suzuki was one of the most influential pedagogues in music education for children. His famous “Suzuki Method” is based on creating a positive environment that fosters musical immersion at an early age. Suzuki strongly believed that “every child was

Born in Salzburg on 24 November 1965, Angelika Kirchschlager is enjoying an international career, dividing her time between recitals and operas. Acclaimed as one of the foremost interpreters of Richard Strauss and Mozart, Kirchschlager counts herself lucky to have had

In a lecture delivered at the turn of the century, Krzysztof Penderecki said, “One must have the courage to be oneself. The period of stagnation, the wearing away of individual characteristics in art, cannot last forever. Art must be reborn.

Stephen Hough has been described as “one of the most distinctive artists of his generation.” And while his achievements as a pianist are well-known and documented, Hough is also a published and frequently commissioned composer. But what is more, he

A critic writes, “Pablo Heras-Casado came roaring in like a lion. There was a thunderous physicality to his conducting that I don’t recall having witnessed before, a readiness to unleash the full sonic resources of the orchestra and to marshal