International Piano - Spring 2025

The Spring issue of International Piano features on its cover the Canadian pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin, who came second to Seong-Jin Cho at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition and has since made several outstanding recordings for the Canadian label Analekta. He talks to Michelle Assay about his latest album, coupling music by Chopin and Granados.
In our regular columns this issue, Mark Ainley considers the legacy of Victor Schiøler, one of Denmark’s greatest pianists, while Kenneth Hamilton reports on an exciting Lisztian discovery in the collection of Liszt’s pupil August Stradal. In this issue’s Polarising Pianists column, Bryce Morrison recalls the playing of the American Joseph Villa.

Jiayan Sun introduces his latest album for Bridge Records, ‘Busoni and his Muses’, presenting works by the Italian composer alongside music that influenced him. Murray McLachlan continues his educational ‘Nuts and Bolts’ series with an instructive guide to navigating leaps.

For this issue’s Repertoire Guide, David Threasher explores the recorded history of one of the least-known of Mozart’s mature piano concertos, No 26 in D major, K537, and recommends his favourite versions. Our rare sheet music this issue is a transcription by Jules Schulhoff of the slow movement of Haydn’s Symphony No 93.

Our comprehensive reviews coverage encompasses new releases from, among many others, Peter Donohoe, Stephen Hough, Kate Liu, Alice Sara Ott and Samson Tsoy, while Nigel Simeone offers his regular round-up and additional recordings you might easily have missed. Finally, our live reviews report on concerts in London, New York and Lucerne.