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5 EDITORIAL Are there too many competitions?
6 Q&A Some questions for Katya Apekisheva
7 NEWS & NOTES / LETTERS Recordings to look forward to: Igor Levit playing Brahms and enticing box-set reissues from the Westminster, American Decca and DG catalogues as well as Jorge Bolet’s Decca recordings; looking ahead to the 2025 Chopin Competition; a new Cleveland winner ; tributes to two influential piano teachers
10 IN BLACK AND WHITE Rhonda Boyle presents evidence for the reasons why fewer women pianists prosper at major piano competitions
14 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES In his regular column, Mark Ainley surveys the artistry of Ilona Eibenschütz, a pianist who knew Brahms and Clara Schumann and whose playing heralds another age
16 MUSINGS OF A MUSICIAN In his regular column for International Piano, Kenneth Hamilton asks whether the idea of different schools of playing, whether national or grouped around a high-profile teacher, still has any relevance
18 THE ILL-TEMPERED CLAVIER Charivari is fed up with unwanted distractions at live concerts
30 PERSONAL TOUCH George Li introduces his new album for Warner Classics of dance-themed works by Ravel, Schumann and Stravinsky, and tells us what makes this distinctive programme hang together
40 NUTS AND BOLTS Part 3 – Scales
SHEET MUSIC 45 Repertoire Rarity Moritz Moszkowski’s rarely heard transcription of the Nocturne from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
50 ARCHIVE FOCUS Richard Whitehouse revisits the recordings of Yvonne Loriod, to mark her centenary, and makes a case for a pianist with much to say beyond her famous Messiaen recordings
REVIEWS 52 CRITICS’ CHOICE Our selection of the finest new releases, with the top album being named International Piano Choice
54 NEW RELEASES In our extensive reviews coverage, our expert critics cast a collective ear over recent releases, with reviews of new recordings by Can Çakmur, Emmanuel Despax, Peter Donohoe, Charlotte Hu, Olga Pashchenko and many others
66 QUARTERLY ROUND-UP Nigel Simeone’s latest round-up encompasses recent releases of interesting albums you might otherwise have missed
72 LIVE REVIEWS This issue we have correspondents reporting from the annual festivals in Verbier and Aldeburgh and from recent events in Prague, New York and London
80 SHEET MUSIC Murray McLachlan assesses the 2025-26 ABRSM piano syllabus
82 MUSIC OF MY LIFE Sergei Edelmann talks about five recordings that have shaped him as a musician
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20 ISATA KANNEH-MASON The eldest of the Kanneh-Mason siblings, Isata has turned to the music of the Mendelssohns, Felix and Fanny. She talks to Jeremy Nicholas about her latest album including Fanny’s Easter Sonata, which was once assumed to have been the work of Felix
26 GABY CASADESUS Gaby Casadesus died 25 years ago, having lived for almost a century. Charles Timbrell, who knew her personally, pays tribute to a muchloved pianist and musician
32 BUSONI’S PIANO MUSIC This month’s ‘Repertoire Guide’ is slightly unusual, offering a survey of a body of work rather than the history on record of a single piece. Richard Whitehouse presents a detailed overview of the solo piano music of Busoni, and recommends starting points for hearing the best of these works in the best recordings www.international-piano.com
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