A somewhat Christmas-themed post: four pianists playing the Hess transcription of Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Myra Hess, Walter Gieseking, Dinu Lipatti, and Bruce Hungerford all bring their unique approach to this gorgeous work. Which do you prefer? Link in the comments.

Henri Gil-Marchex was born 133 years ago. Never heard of him? Many haven't. He lived until 1970 but only made discs in 1927 that were never reissued until a decade ago. Ravel admired him & he was the 1st French pianist to tour & give conferences in Japan. Page with incredible recordings linked below

Natan Brand died December 10, 1990 at the tragically young age of 46. Posthumous CDs of private recordings saw pianophiles mesmerized by his big-scale & highly personal pianism. A number of incredible recordings today, including unreleased audio & film his widow provided me. Link in comments.

December 7 marked the 65th anniversary of Clara Haskil's premature death at 65. Like many pianists, her repertoire was far broader than the Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann for which she was remembered. Liszt? Brahms? Rachmaninoff? Hear for yourself via the link in the comments.

The forgotten Danish pianist Arne Skjold Rasmussen died 45 years ago. Out of print for decades, his 1950s Tono recordings are available thanks to Danacord, who have also released his 1960 BBC broadcasts of Nielsen piano music. Quite a wonderful artist - link in comments thread.

Dinu Lipatti died 75 years ago today at the age of 33. I've written a chapter to a new Romanian book and the English version is now on my website: an exploration exposing some of the myths that continue to circulate about him, plus the ongoing discovery of recordings & more. Link in comments.

Earl Wild was born 110 years ago today (I was born the same day but MANY years later!). For his 90th birthday he played a superb recital at Carnegie Hall, despite serious health challenges the preceding year. That remarkable performance is linked in the comments (with some relevant details).

November 19 was the anniversary Géza Anda's birth. While best known for his 1960s Mozart & Bartók recordings on DG, his 40s & 50s discs & broadcasts offer even more stupendous pianism - almost a completely different pianist. Stunning examples linked in the post in the comments.

Marcelle Meyer died prematurely 67 years ago, leaving behind a rich recorded output that was out of the catalogue for a quarter century before slowly returning & revealing among the most stupendous of pianists. Today: my detailed feature about her legacy & two 1950s Italian broadcasts.

Jorge Bolet was born 111 years ago. He was never at his best in studio recordings, though some of his earlier discs are superb, among them the world premiere of Prokofiev's 2nd Concerto (Richter & Gilels loved it). That and some live appearances in today's tribute, linked below.

A dream come true: film footage of Simon Barere on TV in 1950 has surfaced and it's extraordinary. He plays an abridged version of the Gounod-Liszt Faust Waltz with his legendary dazzling technique & great lyricism - and the unmoving face of Horowitz, Moiseiwitsch & other greats. Link in comments!

Danish pianist Victor Schiøler studied with Friedman & Schnabel, taught Victor Borge, and produced hours of superb recordings. His 1956 Chopin Preludes remained unpublished, and extensive searches finally uncovered a pressing uncatalogued in the archive - and WOW! Check the link in the comments!

Walter Gieseking was born 130 years ago today. He recorded extensively but had a far greater repertoire than even his ample discography suggests, and many live recordings find him in even better form. An array of these today - and the promise of more coming soon. Link in comments thread.

Mieczysław Münz was born October 31, 1900 - 125 years ago. He retired from public performance in 1941 due to focal dystonia, remaining a revered teacher for over 30 more years. A detailed biographical tribute & rare extant recordings of the master in today's post: check the comments thread for link.

American pianist William Kapell died tragically young at 31 in a plane crash on this date in 1953. Fortunately he left behind many recordings, both live & 'official', and more continues to come to light. A number of these in today's shared links: check the comments for the share.

The recording of György Cziffra playing Bartók's 2nd Piano Concerto seems not to be from the Budapest concert on the eve of the Hungarian Revolution, and some of the pianist's own claims are known to be inaccurate - but what a performance! Details & recording in today's linked post.

Celebrating the birth of Franz Liszt (on this day in 1811) with some filmed lectures by his extraordinary biographer Alan Walker, who spent 25 years producing a 3-volume biography. Linked in the comments, 3 video presentations and recordings by some of Liszt's pupils & friends.

Nelson Freire would have celebrated his 81st birthday today but he sadly left us prematurely 4 years ago. I think he was not just great, but truly GREAT - far more than most recognize. In the comments, my tribute upon his death with many recordings, plus a recent discovery from when he was only 19.

There are two unoffical concert recordings of Vladimir Horowitz & Bruno Walter, a 1936 Amsterdam Brahms D Minor (which the pianist then dropped from his repertoire) and a 1948 New York Tchaikovsky 1st - both absolutely superb. Both are linked in the comments with key background details.

French pianist Agnelle Bundervoët was born 103 years ago. She produced 4 LPs in her native France before rheumatoid arthritis forced her to retire, but she continued to give radio broadcasts. Those collectors' LPs are now digitized & more broadcasts are available than ever before. Check comments.

October 9 this year was the 190th anniversary of the birth of Camille Saint-Saëns. It is incredible that we have recordings made by a composer-pianist born in 1835. In tribute, a fantastic 1919 disc he made & the reference recording of his concertos by a pianist he coached. Link in comments.

Hungarian pianist Peter Frankl was born 90 years ago, on October 2, 1935. He has had a long & distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. I have crafted a tribute page to the artist with solo, chamber, and live concerto performances, and an insightful interview. Link below.

A belated birthday tribute to Alfred Cortot, born September 26, 1877: a pianist who fortunately recorded extensively, though not always with full precision - but always with imagination! In this tribute, his daring Chopin Etudes and evocative Schumann... and exquisite Beethoven. Link in comments.

George Gershwin was born 127 years ago. I love that both Ravel & Boulanger didn't want to teach him because he was already a uniquely creative genius. It is lamentable that he was not recorded and filmed more, but what we have is magnificent. Some historic audio & film linked in the comments today.

September 18 was the anniversary of the birth in 1872 of Carl Friedberg, who trained with Clara Schumann and was coached by Brahms. We have both live & studio recordings of him late in life, plus samples of his teaching - a phenomenally insightful musician whose recordings are miraculous!

Dinu Lipatti played his now legendary final recital in Besançon 75 years ago, on September 16, 1950. The performance was not aired live as his condition was unstable (in fact he nearly canceled) and fortunately the bulk of the recital was preserved and issued. Details & audio via link in comments.

Ben Laude (of The Chopin Podcast and earlier work with tonebase) has uploaded a one-hour video culled from four hours of recording we did last year in which I share thoughts about 20 amazing historical pianists & their recordings - not a complete list, but a rich exploration. Link in comments!

Rosita Renard is the focus of my latest feature in International Piano magazine, with an emphasis on her legendary 1949 Carnegie Hall recital. The magazine has made the feature available online & I present some important considerations about artists 'live' & in official records. Link in comments.

I believe that the American pianist Earl Wild is still not sufficiently recognized for the probing depth of his incredible performances in a wide range of repertoire - his dazzling technique was beyond reproach and so was his music-making. Some great performances linked in the comments thread today.

August 29 marked the birthday of Spanish pianist Rosa Sabater, whose career was tragically cut short when she perished in the 1983 Avianca flight 011 crash at the age of 54. Some studio, live, and filmed performances linked in the comments thread - what an artist!

August 23 marked the 75th anniversary of Dinu Lipatti's final appearance with orchestra, when he played Mozart's C Major Concerto K.467 in Lucerne with Karajan. Link below in the comments with details about the recording (the original was erased) + an interview with Lipatti before the concert.

Sergio Fiorentino died suddenly on this day in 1998. Despite his astonishing artistry, his career never quite reached the heights his gifts merited. Fortunately we have an abundance of live & studio recordings, and film footage. Some of each in today's post - check the comments thread for the link.

Jascha Spivakovsky was born on this day in 1896. He died in 1970 without having released a single solo recording (his famous violinist brother Tossy produced a lot). About a decade ago, his son began issuing stunning private recordings & I got involved in the project. Links via the comments thread.

August 6 was the anniversary of the birth in 1909 of Karl-Ulrich Schnabel, son of the legendary Artur Schnabel and his partner in celebrated two-piano and four-hand performances - and he too was a fantastic soloist (and teacher). Some fine recordings linked in the comments thread.

This past Monday was the 105th anniversary of the birth of the sorely-overlooked American pianist William Masselos, who studied with two Clara Schumann pupils (one of whom worked with Brahms). A couple of his scant solo recordings today, plus a superb bootleg concerto recording - link in comments.

Hungarian pianist & conductor Tamás Vásáry celebrates his 92nd birthday today. As fine as his recordings are, today I am sharing filmed appearances that reveal wonderfully conceived interpretations played with great vitality & directness - check the comments. Many happy returns, Maestro Vásáry!

Celebrating the anniversary of Solomon's birth in 1902 with an array of live & studio recordings he left us before a 1956 stroke ended his career (he lived another 32 years). Widely considered reserved, he was fiery when called for & his repertoire went beyond what most believe. Links in comments.

August 5 this year marks the 75th anniversary of the passing of Rosa Tamarkina at the tragically young age of 30. The amazing pianist was only 16 when she placed 2nd at the 1937 Chopin Competition; her continued studies with Goldenweiser & Igumnov forged her into a refined artist. More linked below.

Anatole Kitain studied alongside Horowitz with Tarnowsky & Blumenfeld, but his career never quite took off despite positive reviews. Some fine examples of his inspired artistry today - four of his glorious 1930s Columbia recordings. Details & links in the comments thread.

In 1930, Evlyn Howard-Jones recorded 8 Preludes & Fugues in what was intended to be the first Well-Tempered Clavier on disc (Harriet Cohen did the preceding 10), but the project was then abandoned. His playing is absolutely mesmerizing. Details & recordings linked in the comments thread.

July 25 was the anniversary of the birth in 1879 of Polish pianist Severin Eisenberger, who never produced official recordings; fortunately an abundance of broadcasts survive, despite the pianist's own attempt to destroy them & the playing is superb. Details and audio linked in the comments below.

Polish pianist Alexander Sienkiewicz made the world premiere recordings of Scriabin's two last sonatas in 1926, when the works were 13 years old and he was 22. The tale of these phenomenal accounts - and what I've been able to glean about this pianist - is shared in the comments thread.

Hungarian pianist Louis Kentner was born 120 years ago. His playing was refined, powerful, highly intelligent, never lacking virtuosity yet always serving the music. Today, a number of performances from his long career, including his 1st record (1928) and an unpublished broadcast. Link in comments.

French pianist Fabienne Jacquinot is sorely forgotten today yet she made some incredible recordings for the reputable Parlophone label in the 1950s (all set down at Abbey Road), including 10 works for piano & orchestra (some seldom-played). Six of these today plus a great solo (Schumann's Carnaval)!

Today is the 16th anniversary of my Piano Files page on Facebook, which has led to this account here, my website, my YouTube, and an increase in publication, lecture, and podcast appearances. In celebration, 16 of my YouTube uploads from the last year & my Chopin Podcast episode. Link in comments.

The legendary harpsichordist Wanda Landowska was born 146 years ago today - and she was also a superb pianist, as a few hours of Mozart recordings reveal. Today, a combination of studio & live recordings plus an interview, ranging from 1938 to 1956 - absolutely fascinating!

Last week marked 133 years since the birth of Mieczysław Horszowski - or maybe not, as some think he was in fact older. Regardless, he was the last surviving Leschetizky pupil & had one of the longest careers. Many decades of recordings are a testament to his incredible artistry.

Yesterday was the 92nd birthday of Gerald Kingsley, a pupil of Edwin Fischer & friend of Medtner I had the great pleasure of meeting in 2018. During the lockdowns we recorded a remarkable conversation about musical interpretation + the legends he heard & met. Link in the comments.

Celebrating the incredible contributions to music of Alfred Brendel, who died today at the age of 94. In this tribute, a couple of unexpected early recordings (Balakirev's Islamey + Stravinsky's Pétrouchka!), as well as Beethoven Op.111 & a lecture about his life in music - link in comments. RIP.

Mindru Katz was born in Bucharest on June 3, 1925, making this his centenary year. This belated birthday celebration (a taste of a fuller tribute to follow) includes some of his early recordings for the Pye label plus film footage days before he died mid-concert at the age of 52. Link in comments.