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On Indie Classical
Indie classical—as I define it—is a sub-genre of contemporary classical music. Born in the early 2010s, it is slowly evolving from a niche genre to a contemporary musical trend. Its unofficial founders—including the German composer and pianist Nils Frahm—have gone
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Those Who Can, Teach
The expression “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” does a great disservice to teachers everywhere. In the sphere of music, teaching is often regarded as a “second best” option for those who have trained as performers, yet for
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Pianist Jon Kimura Parker, a Modern-day Musical Maverick
The diabolical pianist—that’s what I called Jon Kimura Parker in 2013. During the last six years Parker has become a force in many genres of music, and, as an entrepreneur, he has blossomed into what one can only call a
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Are Hip Hop and Classical Music Similar?
You might think that this is a crazy question. To quote Wikipedia, Hip Hop is a “stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted”. That doesn’t sound like classical music does it? Of
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Great Performers: Maria João Pires
“what I feel is very deep. I need to have a total connection with the music” – Maria João Pires One of the finest musicians of her generation, pianist Maria João Pires brings exquisite refinement, profound emotional depth, and intellectual
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Cultural Gatekeeping and the Maverick Musician
Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit (Ivo Pogorelich) I will never forget the first time I heard Croatian concert pianist Ivo Pogorelich live in concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The concert, in 2015, had been heavily trailed, hinting that this
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Lucas Debargue: When I Play Scarlatti, I Join Scarlatti’s Time
Four years have passed since the music world discovered Lucas Debargue at the 15th Tchaikovsky Competition. His peculiar path to music has created a new, different perspective on piano art. The conversation took place at the Riga Jurmala Music Festival,
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The String Quartet
The longer I live, and the more music I hear, I become further convinced that the string quartet offers the greatest musical experience. This year, I have been lucky enough to see and hear perhaps the best two string quartets
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