Pianist

For the passionate players, or early beginners, Pianist magazine will teach you the art of piano playing through professional advice, sheet music and lessons for all levels. Your piano playing journey starts here with the magazine that doubles as an entertaining read and the ultimate interactive piano teacher. Read, learn and play the piano with Pianist magazine every issue. Improve your piano playing and perfect your tone with 40 pages of specially selected sheet music. Whether it’s reading fascinating industry articles or putting your fingers to work with beautiful sheet music, you’ll be playing like an expert in no time with a digital subscription to Pianist magazine!

Ringing in the festive season

Pianist

Your chance to HAVE YOUR SAY • EMAIL: editor@pianistmagazine.com WRITE TO: The Editor, Pianist, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West St, Bourne, PE10 9PH. Letters may be edited.

Brahms on top • The two largest concertos in the repertoire once more became vehicles for youthful virtuosity at the George Enescu Competition in Bucharest. Peter Quantrill went behind the scenes to talk to the competition’s director and new winner

Portrait of the ARTIST • Zlata Chochieva talks to Peter Quantrill about fulfilling childhood dreams, telling stories with Prokofiev and why fragility can be beautiful

RICH SONORITIES HOW TO MAKE A BELL-LIKE SOUND • From the cantabile of a singer to the deep bow-strike of a cello, the myriad sounds that one can coax out of the piano are indeed endless. Here, Mark Tanner focuses on bells – in all shapes and sizes

PRACTISING FOR A PERFORMANCE PART 1: GROUNDWORK • Preparing for a performance requires months of practice within a solid schedule: In the first of a three-part series, Graham Fitch talks about the initial foundation work

THE SCORES • Pianist 141 • Read the lessons • Play the scores

SAINT-SAËNS LES CLOCHES DU SOIR OP 85 • Matthew Mills shows you how to work your way through the subtle changes of harmony, articulation and dynamics in order for these evocative bells to fully resound through the still evening air

ISAAC ALBÉNIZ ASTURIAS FROM SUITE ESPAÑOLA OP 47 • Iago Núñez guides you through one of Albéniz’s most evocative and exciting works, where nimble fingerwork and accurate jumps will help bring its flamenco vibe to life

AUGUST EBERHARD MÜLLER NO 12 FROM EASY PIECES • Melanie Spanswick’s ‘blocking out’ technique will ensure a rhythmic Alberti bass accompaniment for this German composer’s poignant Allegretto melody

Mark TANNER • What a Carillon

Melanie SPANSWICK • Lucky Dip

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)2 • German Dance WoO 42 No 4

August Eberhard MÜLLER (1767-1817) • Allegretto, No 12 from 12 Easy Pieces

Louis STREABBOG (1835-1886) • Leap-Frog, No 1 from 12 Easy and Melodious Studies Op 64

Charles-Valentin ALKAN (1813-1888) • Les cloches, No 4 from Esquisses Op 63

Steve LANGFORD • God Rest You Merry Gentleman

Déodat de SÉVERAC (1872-1921) • Where we hear an old music box

Amy BEACH (1867-1944) • The Old Chapel by Moonlight Op 106

Franz LISZT (1811-1886) • La cloche sonne S 238

Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) • Les cloches du soir Op 85

Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) • Cloches à travers les feuilles

Isaac ALBÉNIZ (1860-1909) • Asturias, No 5 from Suite Española Op 47

PIANO TEACHER HELP DESK The YouTube copycat • Can the ‘easy’ route of listening to a recording of a piece we’re about to learn be of help or hindrance? Kathryn Page shares her own thoughts

Tracking down a TEACHER • We’ve all heard horror stories about bad teachers – but how can you avoid them? How do you...