Summer fun - ONLINE INTERVIEWS
My first summer highlight was sharing the virtual stage with my fellow international musicians for a fundraiser concert for UNICEF benefitting children in need. It was great fun to talk about the concert in a TV interview on WFMJ from my home studio.
MY TOP 10 Recordings
Every artist takes cues and influences from their surroundings. Listening to recordings is one of the most important cues in the development of an interpretation, a great tool for growth of one’s musicianship and technique.
Here are the ten recordings that influenced me most on my path as a musician.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 10: Argerich/Gaspard
The Lioness of the Piano! When I listened the first time to Gaspard de la Nuit I was in my early teens and it was Martha Argerich’s recording
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 9: Brendel/Schubert
Alfred Brendel would have to be very high on the list of pianists who had a big influence on me.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 8: Archerich/Bach
During my undergraduate years in Freiburg, Germany, I had a student subscription to a chamber music series featuring Martha Argerich relatively regularly.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 7: Sokolov/Prokofiev 7
Grigory Sokolov’s 1969 two CD set features a selection of the monuments of piano repertoire including Stravinsky’s Petruchka, Schumann’s Carnaval and Prokofiev’s 8th and 7th sonatas.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 6: Fischer/WTC
A gold standard recording of a set of pieces that are in themselves gold standards of music.
My Top 10 Recordings - no. 5: Perahia/Songs Without Words
I love well programmed and thematic recordings, which is why I enjoy this 1999 CD of Murray Perahia so very much.
