2020 – The Piano Files

Dinu Lipatti: 70 Years Later

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 4 Comments / December 2, 2020

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Dinu Lipatti’s death on December 2, 1950, a collection of commercial and unofficial recordings arranged in a recital format. My own introduction to Lipatti’s playing came in 1985, when

Dearly Departed

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 3 Comments / December 1, 2020

For World AIDS Day today, Stephen Hough posted on his Twitter feed today (click here) my upload of Villa’s jaw-dropping account of Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata (click here for the recording), a private recording of a

Josef Hofmann’s Golden Jubilee Concert

by Mark Ainley / Recordings / No Comments / November 28, 2020

November 28 this year was the 83rd anniversary of Josef Hofmann’s Golden Jubilee concert at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. It was a key performance in a series of concerts celebrating the Polish

Wilhelm Kempff at 125

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / No Comments / November 27, 2020

On the 125th anniversary of Wilhelm Kempff’s birth, I offer a very brief selection of some recordings made throughout his long career. Kempff in 1931 Kempff’s name was one of the most visible in record stores for

Take Note: A Conversation with Müzewest Concerts and The Piano Files with Mark Ainley

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Interview / Recordings / 2 Comments / October 10, 2020

On September 27, 2020 I had a wonderful conversation about piano performance and interpretation with Jennifer West, artistic director of the local Müzewest Concerts and a big piano aficionado. Our conversation covered a lot of

A Tribute to Allan Evans

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 1 Comment / September 11, 2020

Pianophile and recording historian/researcher Allan Evans passed away on June 6 at far too young an age. Evans played a particularly active role in bringing attention to the playing of the great Polish pianist Ignaz

Beyond The Concert Hall: In Conversation

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Interview / Recordings / No Comments / August 27, 2020

I recently had a wonderful conversation with Leila Getz of the Vancouver Recital Society. She has run this organization for over 40 years, featuring both established and the latest up-and-coming artists. Leila has always had

Rosa Tamarkina In Memoriam

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 2 Comments / August 5, 2020

Having only just realized that today is the 70th anniversary of the death of Rosa Tamarkina, I am quickly preparing this commemorative post with some representative recordings and basic biographical information that will then be

Aristocratic Poise: An Appreciation of Benno Moiseiwitsch

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 2 Comments / June 26, 2020

We live today in an age of exaggerated showmanship, where many less cultivated pianists believe that they must demonstrate emotion rather than convey it directly through their playing. The demeanour of Benno Moiseiwitsch was, by

Dinu Lipatti plays Beethoven

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Preview / Recordings / 1 Comment / June 22, 2020

A new CD set featuring Lipatti’s London studio recordings and some rare treasures A new CD set has come out that is the culmination of an early discovery at the beginning of my research into unknown

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