International Piano

The Summer issue of International Piano features the German pianist Joseph Moog, whose latest album for Naïve, ‘Belle époque’, features fin de siècle showpieces that encapsulate his love of virtuoso repertoire. Jeremy Nicholas talks to him about his passion for old-school pianism and this new project.

 

In our regular columns this issue, Mark Ainley introduces the legacy of Wilhelm Backhaus, while Kenneth Hamilton’s concludes his exploration of Chopin as teacher. Jonathon Brown offers a personal perspective on the qualities that old masters bring to piano playing that young virtuosos can’t always emulate. For this issue’s Repertoire Guide, Jed Distler considers the recorded history of Frederic Rzewski’s masterpiece, The People United Will Never Be Defeated!, a set of variations on a Chilean protest song, composed 50 years ago. Murray McLachlan also continues his educational ‘Nuts and Bolts’ series with another exploration of an aspect of piano technique.

 

There is plenty more. To mark the centenary of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Thomas May talks to members of the piano department – staff and past and present students – to find out what makes this the most prestigious establishment of its kind; the American pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu introduces his latest album on Platoon, coupling Debussy’s Études with contemporary works; and Jonathon Brown presents a whistlestop guide to the best summer festivals for hearing your favourite pianists.

 

Finally, our reviews coverage is a comprehensive as ever, encompassing new recordings from labels both large and small, with one chosen as International Piano’s top choice. Nigel Simeone contributes his regular round-up of recordings you could easily miss, while Jed Distler reviews Jessica Duchen’s new biography of Dame Myra Hess. Finally, we have a major reviews of the recorded legacy of Michel Béroff and Sergio Fiorentino, each of which are the subject of new box-sets from, respectively, Warner Classics and Brilliant Classics.