#Lockdown has really highlighted how easy it is to take #movement for granted! With the easing of restrictions taking small steps, the streets and skies are not just a visual reminder of movement. As people are begin to take casual, perhaps inessential, strolls (rather than the one deliberate outing to stake their right for that ration of ‘one daily exercise’), idle chatter is heard in and out of focus as it mingles with the hum of the environment. How much movement in the so

We have come to Z. The last letter in this project reflects the endeavours of Alexander Siloti. He pushed #piano #technique to new levels. Siloti acquired this facility through a #regime of disciplined, isolated hours of studies that were inflicted upon him, then which became accepted and self-maintained. Yet, out of seemingly the most mundane #exercise that is carried out little more than with a sense of #duty and perhaps #faith in its future benefit, Siloti unearthed and

When things get tough one of our strongest reactions is that to cling onto something of the past. Yearning for something that used to bring warmth and smiles becomes our comfort. With it inevitable perhaps that tinge of frustration of something that might be gone forever? Yearning for something just out of reach is bread and butter of creative artists. Knowing it can never be achieved, that the horizon moves away from us the closer we think we approach it, also gives that

Has anyone else noticed the wonderful new #lockdown phenomenon where people walk out of the front door timidly, then gathering more and more confidence start looking alive as they launch into their once-daily permitted ration of stepping out into the world? Then, returning back they disappear - not to be seen until a new, clear day beckons again... Sounds familiar? Of course - it must be that #magician #Debussy capturing the #music of the legendary submerged isle of Ys! #COVI

In the recent weeks we’ve heard far too much #rhetoric for comfort about #war, #restriction of liberties, #sacrifice and the instigation of the so-called ‘new normal’. #Vote, the Treaty of Versailles and the spirit of the people (#Volksgeist) are all part of this session in #Lockdown #Piano #Alphabet... and some bubbly Schubert to go with it! #COVID19 #workingfromhome #houseconcert #together #share

#Simplicity requires by far the greater mastery, command of your craft, and empathy, or perhaps compassion, of your environment. The most #beautiful things that we hold dear often sound the most simple. It is surely no accident that in this #Lockdown people are accepting that as they are pushed from so many fronts to define and defend #Essential, they draw comfort from cherishing the #simple relationships, actions and things around them. Beethoven’s middle movement of the ‘

I never thought I’d think, let alone say this, but - as the Government has officially extended #Lockdown by 3 more weeks - when will we finally be able to experience the chaotic hustle and bustle of non #SocialDistancing #queues? For now, here is what feels like a distant memory with Mussorgsky’s bustling Limoges #Market. Enjoy! #COVID19 #workingfromhome #piano #music #share #together

Contorting fingers in quite a popular #pastime at the #piano. Virtuoso pianists in the twentieth century were especially fond of what they called #organist fingering - where you make a silent, sneaky substitution. It lets you layer the music underneath and over a melodic line in a way that makes it seem like it flows opulently in all directions. The effect is of hypnotic yet deceptive simplicity. See if you agree! #COVID19 #workingfromhome #yoga #piano #relaxing #music #sha

#Words usually dictate - that is their downfall. Too often we see or hear words and act according to their instuction, or repeat them, without pausing to think about what they mean to us; what they might mean to someone else; and what the consequences might be of them being undestood differently, or taken out of context . #Music has the distinct position of being able to narrate where words fail to capture a nuance or suggestion. Music can #evoke. It doesn’t carry a prescri

#Meditation has somehow been adopted into #trend. Social media is flooded with meditation tutorials, books give us a run down of the #essential #mindfulness and #creative #visualisation #techniques, and companies are selling hours upon hours of mind-numbing noise marketed as #music for meditation. #Retreat #weekends and #meditation #holidays in Nepalese monasteries for those affluent enough entice punters with promises of #remote #isolation. Well, we are in #lockdown... ye

#Smiling is good for us. I’ve been assured it’s a fact that has been backed up with plenty of science. So why are classical concerts full of such serious faces even when the music is trying its best to make you #giggle? I wonder if it’s because like all good #jokes, a musical joke needs #context. It’s only funny if we appreciate what is being parodied. A few weeks ago we would not have found it funny to see memes playing with the idea of #SocialDistancing. So, J is for jo

The letter C conjures up a whole wealth of associations, both musical and not. After thinking about many contenders for this post I decided to share with you #Chopin, and his masterful #command and #control of #chiaroscuro (the art of contrasting #light with dark). In Chopin’s so-called ‘Raindrop’ Prelude the sound-world seems to change so dramatically when the ominous chorale casts its shadow. It is, however, nothing more than that - a passing shadow. It melts away and t

B is for Bonnie, my half-Siamese cat, insisted on being a #lockdown co-worker to help me make this video. In all seriousness though, B is for #Beethoven, as well as for Blitz and Blockade. Listen to my short introduction to see how Beethoven unites my two cities, Saint Petersburg (Leningrad) and London, via two formidable pianists, Myra Hess and Maria Yudina. Enjoy and please share! #COVID19 #workingfromhome #unity #concert #music #together