Angela Hewitt

With his Chinese-American roots, George Li’s performing style reflects an international outlook, based on an innate understanding of the role that classical music plays in different cultures. Stephen Wigler meets a young pianist with real audience appeal

The relationship between art, its creator and its audience presents a tangled knot for the philosopher and the critic. Jonathon Brown says that we mustn’t expect easy solutions to what it all means

Our dyspeptic columnist Charivari* lambasts those high and mighty critics who should know better, yet fail to recognise musical genius when it’s right under their noses

The Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt is a cool force of nature whose intelligence, dedication and profound musicianship have made her a leading interpreter of Bach’s keyboard works. Owen Mortimer finds out what has driven this selfmotivated artist to commit the Goldberg Variations to disc for a second time, more than 15 years after her brilliant first recording

Roberto Prosseda explains how he has tuned into a new approach to Mozart for his recording of the complete piano sonatas, using the unequal temperament of the composer’s day to capture the vivid colours of the fortepiano while enjoying the dynamic range and tonal variety of a modern instrument

Jessica Duchen is highly impressed by Bösendorfer’s new concert grand, the 280VC, which preserves the traditional sound characteristics of its distinguished Viennese antecedents while providing a flexible, versatile instrument made with 21st-century precision

From its marginal beginnings in the 1960s, minimalism has emerged as one of the most influential compositional styles of our time, with real popular appeal. Benjamin Ivry considers the distinctive role that the the piano has played in the works of three ‘founding fathers’ of minimalism as they prepare for major birthday celebrations in the months ahead

Jeremy Nicholas looks forward to the launch of the London Piano Festival, an intensive and impactful weekend of music-making that promises great playing and imaginative programming, with a helping hand from your favourite magazine!

Take your eyes off your hands when you play, advises Murray McLachlan, and you’ll start feeling the physical and musical benefits immediately

What will Brexit mean for classical artists? Tax specialist Mark Wingate provides some answers

Lullaby for Alexandra by David Bednall

Emil Gilels possessed a vivid style and an imposing musical personality that deserves careful assessment. Benjamin Ivry celebrates the centenary of this bold 20th-century virtuoso by listening to his prolific legacy on record

Noriko Ogawa has fallen for the distinctly French charms of Erik Satie, undertaking recordings of all his piano music for the 150th anniversary of his birth. She talks to Jessica Duchen about the quirks and challenges of this unique composer

Naim Audio’s UnitiQute 2 streamer/ tuner incorporates a wide range of digital and analogue functions to give high-quality audio at a price that won’t break the bank. Rafael Todes fi nds this convenient, stylish unit ticks all his boxes

Shunning the limelight enjoyed by his peers in the ‘Cool School’, pianist Sal Mosca took a thoughtful, almost monastic approach to his art, turning his back on commercial incentives in order to pursue a path of purity, taste and sincerity in his music making. By Andy Hamilton