Great Contemporary Pianists Speak for Themselves

By Elyse Mach

Book Overview

"Mach has produced a book of uncommon interest." -- Washington Post
"Mach's interviews will enhance the pleasure of any concertgoer." -- People
In this rich collection of fascinating interviews with 25 of the world's greatest pianists of the contemporary era, Elyse Mach has chosen to let the artists speak freely and develop their thoughts about music, their lives, and their careers with a minimum of interruption. The result is a treasury of reminiscences and reflections that are not only remarkably candid and revealing but entertaining and thought-provoking as well. Through the eyes of these inspired musicians, we get an intimate look at the concert scene and the life of the concert pianist, as well as insights into the artists' feelings about their art, their performance anxieties, the music they play, and many other topics. Enhanced with 50 photographs, this book will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in serious music and piano artistry.
Pianists interviewed in this volume include Claudio Arrau, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Alfred Brendel, John Browning, Alicia de Larrocha, Misha Dichter, Rudolf Firkusn , Glenn Gould, Vladimir Horowitz, Byron Janis, Lili Kraus, Rosalyn Tureck, Andr Watts, Paul Badura-Skoda, Jorge Bolet, Youri Egorov, Janina Fialkowsha, Leon Fleischer, Emil Gilels, Stephen Hough, Zolt n Kocsis, Garrick Ohlsson, C cile Ousset, Murray Perahia, and Ivo Pogorelich.
"The fascinating world behind the glamour of the concert platform comes alive in very fluid and readable style." -- Rosalyn TurecK

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486266958
• ISBN13: 9780486266954
• Release Date: May 1991
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Almost a Must for any Serious Pianist

It gives us a cross section of the views of the great ( some not so great ) artists as to how they see the piano, pianist(s) and piano music. So Gilels never quite recognised Neuhaus as his teacher; Bolet had high esteem for Moiseiwitsch other than Rachmaninoff; Arrau was an admirer of Edwin Fischer; Kocsis upholding Richter while despising ( and he is not alone) Horowitz for he made use of music and composers instead of serving them, he also refers us to the music of Bartok; Pogorelich telling us the fixing of the piano competitions result; Ashkenazy touching on the Russian artists' soft spot and a lot more... Amusing as well as instructive. Almost a must for all serious pianist.

The masters speak for themselves

This is a very good and interesting book for all pianists and lovers of piano music. Although all the interviews are by the author are polite and hardly provocative, each of the (very different!) personalities provide both entertaining comments and valuable insight.