piano Archives - The Spidy Editor

Bruce Liu plays Chopin with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta

29 March 2025Music

The stage was set, complete with tablet stands and obligatory foot-pedal page turners. As the Amsterdam Sinfonietta arrived at the Muziekcentrum, Enschede for a programme entitled “Homesickness for Italy”, all…

A jubilant finale to the Tonhalle’s European tour with Paavo Järvi

25 March 2025Music

Paavo Järvi had a glint in his eye. Now at the end of a European tour taking in Hamburg, Paris, Frankfurt and Cologne, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich were going out with…

Sofia Vasheruk makes the piano sing in Amsterdam

16 February 2025Music

Undulating chords amidst a sea of calm, as the piano gently introduced a heavenly melody. Twisting, turning, grasping at embers in the snow, unsure which direction to turn next. Such…

Yearning and longing: Gražinytė-Tyla and Blechacz at the Concertgebouw

28 January 2025Music

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is having quite a year. Following her departure from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 2022, she has spent subsequent seasons travelling the world as a guest conductor…

Joshua Bell inspires a new generation of violinists at the Concertgebouw

28 January 2025Culture, Music

The Concertgebouw was buzzing. In one of the most diverse audiences I have seen for a while, young and old alike jostled for position in the cosy foyer of the…

A towering inferno: on tour with Vikingur Ólafsson and the London Philharmonic

18 November 2024Music

Vikingur Ólafsson and Edward Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Smartly dressed in a grey suit and a pale pink tie and exuding a calm efficiency, Norwegian pianist Vikingur Ólafsson swept onto the stage. Expectation fizzed. A year on from…

Evgeny Kissin creates magic in the Concertgebouw

26 June 2024Culture, Music

Evgeny Kissin delighted the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam audience with a surprisingly varied programme of piano music featuring works by Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms and Prokofiev. Hot on the heels of six performances…

Shane van Neerden’s piano recital challenges all the senses

12 January 2024Music

An enthusiastic audience in the Muziekcentrum, Enschede turned out to hear the young Dutch American pianist, Shane van Neerden perform a programme of Debussy, Scriabin, Ives and a new commission for two…

At the Concertgebouw, it’s all about Lang Lang

9 June 2023Music

Thursday night’s concert in Amsterdam, on a rather grey and chilly June evening was all about Lang Lang. Tickets were like gold dust, devoted fans came prepared with their copies…

Chailly reigns supreme with Fujita and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

12 March 2023Music

Chailly and Fujita backstage after the concert discussing the importance of the recurring Dies irae theme in the symphony © Clare Varney

What to expect from an all Rachmaninov concert with one of the world’s greatest conductors? Chailly, as former chief conductor is held in deep affection by the loyal and dedicated…