Charles-Valentin Alkan (1819-1888) was one of the most celebrated pianists of the nineteenth century, mentioned in the same breath as Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. He was also a most unusual composer, “remarkable in both technique and imagination,” and compared

In 1959 the Greek/American conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos wrote: “All my life I have searched for the perfect modern work. In this symphony I have found it. I shall perform it the next season.” The work in question was Erich Wolfgang

A highly gifted pianist and composer, Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915) was one of Russia’s most influential music theorists. His treatise on counterpoint was called “one of the best books of its kind” by Stravinsky. The delightful blend of rigorous counterpoint, brilliant

The South Korean lyric coloratura soprano Sumi Jo, actually born Jo Su-gyeong on 22 November, 1962 in Changwon, is known for her Grammy award-winning interpretations of the bel canto repertoire. The conductor Herbert von Karajan praised her as “a voice

The Swiss-Hungarian pianist Géza Anda was a celebrated interpreter of the classical and romantic repertoire. Capable of resolving the most strenuous difficulties into crystalline poetry and producing a unique tonal sheen and refined cantabile, Wilhelm Furtwängler famously called him “a

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) stunned the musical world in 1821 with the premier performance of Der Freischütz (The Marksman). Setting his career as a pianist and critic aside, Weber had created a work that fully embodied the energies of

The Cuban-born virtuoso Jorge Bolet (1914-1990) was one of the leading advocates of Romantic pianism. From his days as a child prodigy there never was a doubt about his phenomenal talent, as his technique ranked with that of any living

Leonid Kogan, born on 14 November 1924 in the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk, is considered one of the foremost Soviet violinists in the 20th century. Somewhat in the shadow of his compatriot David Oistrakh, Kogan’s playing is characterised by pure