The Piano Files

These are updated notes from the extended text that I wrote for the Solstice label’s publication of Dinu Lipatti’s legendary last recital (click here for details) – the first time that the original broadcast tape in Radio France archives was remastered, as

I continue to be astonished by how many great pianists continue to be off the radar because they recorded so little (if at all) and because these efforts were so seldom reissued, despite their artistic quality.

On April 24, 2026, I gave a presentation at the Vancouver Public Library that was sponsored by two local recital societies, the Vancouver Recital Society and Muzewest Concerts.

Austrian pianist Grete Scherzer had a short career before she retired from public performance but fortunately she left about two hours of recordings.

Clara Sansoni with Isaac Albéniz As has been explored in a number of my features on great pianists, not all supreme artists left behind commercial recordings.

The legendary Polish pianist Josef Hofmann (Józef Kazimierz Hofmann) was born January 20, 1876, making 2026 the 150th anniversary of his birth.

With 2025 being the 75th anniversary of the death of Dinu Lipatti, my colleagues in Romania have prepared a new tribute book to the pianist, for which I was invited to contribute a chapter.

It is tragic that many great pianists never had the career that their artistry warranted.

Hungarian pianist Peter Frankl celebrates his 90th birthday on October 2, 2025.

I was delighted to be commissioned to produce the text for yet another incredible release on the superb Eloquence label, one featuring John Ogdon’s recordings on the Argo label.

For the 16th anniversary of my Facebook page The Piano Files with Mark Ainley on July 9 this year, I thought I would create a post with some of what I’ve shared over the course of the past year.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Catalan musician Ricardo Viñes, who was born Ricardo Viñes y Roda on February 5, 1875.