John Colman (1913–1995): a remarkable life, and a wonderful interview
John Colman (1913–1995) was a pianist with a remarkable career. I knew little about him until I came across an interview with him in a journal, which is free to…
Beautiful new edition of a La Bayadère répétiteur free online
For ballet music nerds like me, this is quite the event in our tiny corner of the musical universe. Ryan Hirst has uploaded to IMSLP a beautifully typeset edition of…
Five books on the piano for Piano Day 2024
For world piano day 2024, here are five books on the piano that I have enjoyed reading, in no particular order of preference (though I have some favourites)
Ballet pianists on film (2): The accompanist (2019)
The Accompanist (2019) is a great new addition to my private mental collection of films featuring ballet pianists. Here's a review of the musical bits.
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist #27: Playing “Siegfried” from Swan Lake Act 3
"Siegfried" from Act 3 of Swan Lake looks like simple music, but it's harder than it looks to make it sound musical.
A year of ballet playing cards #6 (S6): A barcarole for port de bras
This romance from Bizet's opera The Pearl Fishers is great for an adage or port de bras, perhaps