Lubka Kolessa

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 1 Comment / January 31, 2021

There are many great pianists whose performing careers for a variety of reasons did not sustain the promise of their early years, and a good number of them became distinguished teachers whose influence on musical

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Favourite Releases of 2020

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / Review / 3 Comments / January 16, 2021

I regularly state that we are living in the best time for the availability of historical recordings (I’ve actually been saying this since the 1990s), and 2020 was no exception. With the vast majority of

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Celebrating Ruth Slenczynska

by Mark Ainley / Feature / Recordings / 2 Comments / January 15, 2021

Ruth Slenczynska was born on January 15, 1925, which means that the day of this posting she is celebrating her 96th birthday. The legendary American-born pianist has the distinction of having had lessons with a

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Clara Haskil: 60 Years Later

by Mark Ainley / Feature / No Comments / January 7, 2021

Clara Haskil died on December 7, 1960 as a result of injuries sustained in a fall at Brussels train station. She was only 65 at the time. The Romanian pianist had languished in obscurity for

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