International Piano Magazine

The Winter issue of International Piano features one of the greatest pianists of the late 20th century, Jorge Bolet. In the final decade of his life, Bolet – who died in 1990 – made a series of recordings for Decca that have now been reissued in a handsome box-set. Donald Manildi, curator of the International Piano Archives at the University of Maryland, reviews the contents of the set and places Bolet’s Decca legacy in the context of his career as a whole.

This issue is packed. Further features include an exploration of the thriving art of the collaborative pianist: Jessica Duchen talks to some of today’s leading practioners to find out more about what is involved in this specialist role. Regular columns by Mark Ainley and Kenneth Hamilton are joined by personal reflections on the Leeds Piano Competition and on the world of streaming. The latest in Bryce Morrison’s ‘Polarising Pianists’ series is devoted to Samson François, while the German pianist Hanni Liang introduces her fascinating debut album for Delphian. Charlotte Garner also talks to Alexandre Kantorow about his latest recording, coupling Brahms and Schubert, and Murray McLachlan continues his educational ‘Nuts and Bolts’ series, guiding us through the pitfalls of playing arpeggios. For this issue’s Repertoire Guide, Jed Distler listens to the available recording of Charles Ives’s Piano Sonata No 2, ‘Concord, Mass, 1840-1860’, outlining the history of this work and recommending his favourite recording.

Our extended reviews coverage assesses a full range of recent piano releases, from a box-set retrospective of András Schiff to new solo and concerto albums, including Nigel Simeone’s round-up of recordings you might easily have missed. Finally, our live reviews encompass festivals in London, Rosendal (Norway) and Husum (Germany).