From the Blog...

Concert repertoire

I remember a long time ago, when I was still studying with Ben Kaplan, I was asked to give a recital in a local venue in North London and was trying to sort out the repertoire for the concert. I told Ben I wanted to play Beethoven's sonata Op.110 and will never forget his response: 'Darling, you and I love this work and know how great it is, but people generally don't like to listen to fugues'. I was so disappointed as up until then I had never thought that there is someone that could not like a piece of music which I did. Actually, I had never even questioned it! 20th Century Music If a fugue can be difficult for the audience, what about 20th century music and beyond? Bartok's Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, which alongside Liszt's Dante Sonata and Beethoven's Appassionata I have performed in over 50 different occasions, it is always a challenge for the audience, despite being one of the masterpieces of the piano repertoire. Even a Hungarian friend of mine, who said...
Read more