Skip to main content

CONTENTS Pianist 149 April-May 2026 The next issue of Pianist goes on sale 27 May 2026 4 Editor's Note Softly spoken 6 News Announcing the winner, and runner-up, of this year's 2026 Composing Competition 8 Sa Chen The pianist talks about her newly-appointed role as chair of the jury for the next Cliburn Internationl Competition for Young Pianists 10 Katya Apekisheva This issue's cover star talks to Peter Quantrill about the thrill of being immersed in the sounds and subtle nuances of Schubert 14 Masterclass 1 Mark Tanner offers some encouraging advice on how to work with large intervals and stretches within your repertoire 16 Masterclass 2 Graham Fitch covers a wide spectrum of dynamics - from the quietest whisper to the loudest roar, in his latest lesson 20 How to Play 1 Matthew Mills shows you how to approach one of the most thrilling movements from Beethoven's sonatas - the Op 31 No 2 Allegretto 22 How to Play 2 This catchy Impromptu by little-known composer Alice Mary Smith will get under your skin, says Hiroake Takenouchi 24 How to Play 3 Good legato and cantabile are the keys to success in this Gurlitt Lullaby, says Melanie Spanswick 26 The Scores A 40-page pullout of sheet music for all levels: this issue includes gorgeous gems by Bruckner, Sgambati and Jaëll - with more familiar fare by Haydn, Beethoven and Liszt 66 Subscribe There's no time like the present: subscribe to Pianist today! 67 Piano Teacher Help Desk How hard is it to play a clear pianississimo? Very hard, says Kathryn Page, who has some tricks up her sleeve 68 Going for Gold The international piano competition circuit is thriving as ever - but are these contests really essential, asks John Evans? 72 Summer learning Chetham's International Piano Summer School turns 25 this year, and founder Murray McLachlan is still raring to go 74 Piano maintenance Has your piano seen better days? John Evans discusses restoration, repair and rebuild with some industry experts 78 Pianist Prime Discover how to gain access to dozens of archive issues, free piano webinars and more by becoming a Prime member 80 Album Review Praise for Piotr Anderszewsi's Brahms, Giorgi Gigashvili's Prokofiev, Ilia Ovcharenko's left-hand concertos and more 82 Sheet Music Review Seven new piano publications reviewed inside this issue 10 72 74 Cover image: © Viktor Erik Emanuel. This page, from top: © Sim Canetty-Clarke; © Nabin Maharjan; © Martin Lijinsky Notice: Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyrighted material in this magazine, however, should copyrighted material inadvertently have been used, copyright acknowledgement will be made in a later issue of the magazine. 3. Pianist 149

My Bookmarks

Skip to main content