Sometimes composers' easy music for students represents some of their best efforts. This program is made up of music that may be easy to play but obviously wasn't easy to write, played by first-class pianists. JS Bach - 2 Part Inventions (3/4/5) - Glenn Gould D. Shostakovich - 3 Fantastic Dances - Dmitri Shostakovich (1956 broadcast) F. Mendelssohn…

Richter at his greatest, including Schumann and Beethoven performances which seem to go beyond the limits of possibility. Also an example of Richter's Chopin--not the composer he was best known for, but outstanding playing. Schumann: Toccata op7 (Moscow - April 1958) Chopin: Andante Spianato + Grand Polonaise - Op. 22 (London 1961, Kondrashin LSO) …

Artur Schnabel was one the of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century. His Beethoven and Schubert, in particular, are highly regarded to this day. Mozart - Rondo in a minor, k.511 - (1946 recording) Beethoven - Fur Elise Schubert - Trout Quintet - D.667 - Artur Schnabel, piano; Pro Arte String Quartet; Claude Hobday, double bass. Download GP003 h…

Some of the most insightful piano interpretations come from the very composers who wrote the pieces. In this episode we listen to several of the 20th Century's most famous composer playing their own music. Several short interviews with the pianists accompany the music. Bela Bartok - brief comments on Mikrokosmos Bela Bartok - Mikrokosmos - Notturno…

This show originally aired in the Fall of 1998. We explore the origins of the piano and developments through the first couple of centuries. Lodovico Giustini - Sonata #4 E min. - Mieczysław Horszowski - Bartolomeo Cristofori piano Joseph Haydn - Trio #39 G Maj. - Huguette Dreyfus (vienese fortepiano), Edward Melkus (violin), Elisabeth Vogt (cello) …