Podcasts by Radio 3s Piano A to Z
All episodes
Z for Zany from 2012-10-29T17:30
The alphabetical exploration of the piano concludes with Z for Zany, an affectionate look at the role of the piano in comedy. Told at the keyboard by pianist and singer Joe Stilgoe.
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Y for Yellow River from 2012-10-26T16:30
In 1969 at the height of the Chinese Cultural Revolution the Yellow River Piano Concerto, commissioned by Madame Mao, received its highly politicised premiere. Despite being banned from Chinese ...
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X for X-treme from 2012-10-25T16:30
Although every instrument has a history of extreme techniques, the piano seems to have attracted more than its fair share of people wanting to see how far it, and they, could go. From Beethoven,...
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W for Workshops from 2012-10-23T16:30
What goes into the making of a piano? How do the pianos of today differ from those which Liszt or Debussy might have played? In the central London workshop of Steinway's, there are stripped down...
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V for Virtuoso from 2012-10-22T16:30
Virtuoso is a term applied to many of the world's top pianists of today. With its roots in the Italian usage of the 16th and 17th centuries, a virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding...
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U for Upright from 2012-10-19T16:30
‘A sort of musical fungus attached to the walls of semi-detached houses in the provinces’ is how celebrated conductor and fount of bons mots Sir Thomas Beecham once described the upright piano. ...
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T for Tuning from 2012-10-17T16:30
The issue of tuning has been a live one ever since Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras was pinching strings and scratching his head over harmonic discrepancies 2,500 years ago. For a ...
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S for Sustain from 2012-10-16T16:30
The sustain pedal, usually the one on the right, is the most commonly used pedal in a modern piano. When pressed it sustains all the damped strings on the piano by moving the dampers away from t...
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R for Repetiteur from 2012-10-15T16:30
Répétiteurs are so much more than just pianists. Sure, they have to be able to get around the keyboard. But they also have to be able to read the multiple lines of a full score, coach singers, t...
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Q for Queues from 2012-10-11T16:30
Which great pianists would be worth queuing for? Piano fans queued around the block in 1965, to see the return of Vladimir Horowitz, one of the century's most celebrated pianists, after a twelve...
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P for Page Turner from 2012-10-10T16:30
It should be simple. All you have to do is turn a page of a score while the pianist’s hands are otherwise engaged. But page turning is fraught with difficulties, for both pianist and turner. Wha...
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O for Orchestra from 2012-10-09T16:30
How do you practice a concerto without an orchestra? Who controls a concerto - conductor or soloist? Are there any similarities between taking the role of soloist and sitting at the back as the ...
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N for Novels from 2012-10-08T16:30
The piano has played a starring role in some the nation's best loved novels, acting as a signifier of everything from social class to seduction. Professor John Mullan guides listeners through so...
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M for Movies from 2012-10-04T16:30
Piano improviser extraordinaire, Harry the Piano, silent film accompaniment specialist Neil Brand and writer and broadcaster Matthew Sweet – all experts in the field of film music – explore the ...
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L for Left Hand from 2012-10-03T16:30
The right hand may be the belle of the ball but the left hand is no dowdy Cinderella. The left hand is a fundamental part of piano music - literally, the fundamental is the root part of every no...
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K for Keys from 2012-10-02T16:30
There are sad keys and glad keys, so they say; F sharp minor is turbulent and C major is sunny. Every pianist knows how a key feels under their fingers, as every key has its own combination of ...
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J for Jazz from 2012-10-01T16:40
Ever since the early ragtime of Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton the piano has been a key instrument in the development of Jazz. Associated with the smoky bar-room, the instrument allows the j...
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I for Improvisation from 2012-09-27T16:30
Some people can do it and some can't – sit down at the keyboard and simply make music up on the spur of the moment. The piano can be the perfect instrument for jazz improvising, capable of a va...
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H for Hiring from 2012-09-26T16:30
Often when a concert pianist steps onto the stage to perform, they have to play a piano that has been hired. Surprisingly, while many are in great shape, sometimes they aren't. Sometimes they ar...
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G for Glenn Gould from 2012-09-25T16:30
Glenn Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard mus...
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F for Fingers from 2012-09-24T16:30
The piano is an unusual musical instrument in that all ten digits of the performer can be used to sound different notes simultaneously. Fingers need practice, and practice makes perfect. Workin...
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E for Encores from 2012-09-21T16:30
There's an art to choosing and performing an encore, even for the world's top pianists. Being invited to return to the stage calls for a choice that complements but doesn't upstage the programme...
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D for Duets from 2012-09-20T16:30
The piano is rare in that it's an instrument that can be played by two people at the same time. The intimacy of sharing a stool and playing shoulder to shoulder can make for a very pleasant expe...
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C for Competitions from 2012-09-19T16:30
Competitions are a vital part of many classical pianists' careers. They are a testing ground, and a way to get noticed in a crowded field. But are they an exciting way to make a name as a young ...
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B for Boogie-Woogie from 2012-09-18T16:30
This is an energetic and rhythmic style of piano playing that originated in the Southern States of America in the early 20th century. The rumbling left-hand rhythm was often used to evoke trains...
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A for Action from 2012-09-17T16:30
The action, or hammer mechanism, is the defining development in the history of the piano. It is the complex mechanical balancing act connecting the pianist to the strings, from the key to the ha...
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