England’s polymath of the piano

Michael Henderson

PIANISTS ARE TIGHTROPE-WALKERS. Where some other instrumentalists need a partner, the pianist’s calling is to explore the greatest works of the greatest composers with only a score for company. As many of those composers — Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov — were often cosy virtuosi, it is a brave soul who settles in front of a keyboard. You need nimble fingers, and a head for heights. The famous ones have always attracted followers; sometimes zealots. Artur Schnabel, Vladimir Horowitz and Claudio Arrau had noisy fan clubs in “the golden age” of the mid-twentieth century, just as Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman and Daniil Trifonov have today. Bridging the gap were Alfred Brendel, Sviatoslav Richter and, when he was still in short pants, Daniel Barenboim. In British musical life, foreign has always meant “exotic”.…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2023

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