Impromptus in all but name, the three “piano pieces” D946, were completed in May 1828, the year Schubert died, and follow the far more well-known and popular Impromptus D899 and D935, which Schubert composed the previous year. Like the Impromptus,

In April 1782, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart famously wrote to his father, “I suppose that you have heard that the English Bach is dead? What a loss to the musical world!” Johann Christian Bach, known in London circles as John Bach,

The idea of using jazz idioms in an otherwise “serious” composition was a recurrent element in European music between the two World Wars. Composers of all nationalities sought to break down the distinction between high and popular art, and the

If there is one perfect word to sum up the audible culmination of China in 2021, homogeneity must be somewhere close to the top. The whole country indulged in a year-long celebration of the centennial of the Chinese Communist Party

For a year when so many of us limited our social activities to things that were local, the only real travel news that made an international hit was Billionaires in Space! Why use your fortune for good when you can

How will we end this year? With an Omicron bang or a COVID whimper? A year ago, we expected that by mid-summer, all would be back to normal and life could resume. Now, however, we’re not so sure what normal

Orchestral musicians are an odd bunch. It’s ok, I can say that – I speak as one of the oddest. Within any orchestra different personalities emerge, each with their own quirks and habits. Take this as a guide through the

At its roots, the Taubman Approach is based on the premise that there is a way to play the piano that is tension-free. However, in the past thirty years, I’ve discovered these life-changing techniques can benefit not only pianists and