Bertrand Chamayou

Alexander Karpeyev’s approach to the piano harks back to what he regards as the golden age of Russian culture, when noble ideals lay at the heart of music-making. Robert Turnbull meets a pianist who combines intellectual rigour with Russian soulfulness from a bygone era

Should recording labels be free to release studio outtakes by their best-selling artists? Benjamin Ivry considers some ethical problems with this growing trend

Charivari turns his acute critical ear to a new recording that sees pianist Krystian Zimerman making, in his opinion, far too much of a fuss over tried and trusted repertoire by Schubert

Bertrand Chamayou doesn’t just perform music of the great Late Romantic and French Impressionist composers – he seems to channel their very spirit as he plays. Robert Turnbull met the Frenchman at his International Piano Series debut in London, where he mesmerised the audience with some extraordinary Liszt.

Based in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth, Steingraeber & Söhne is Germany’s leading boutique piano brand, with deep roots in tradition stretching back over 165 years. Wagner and Liszt were both patrons of the company, which is still in family hands and continues to innovate, particularly when it comes to perfecting the ideal pianissimo. Owen Mortimer met company director Udo Steingraeber to find out more

Murray Mclachlan puts Yamaha’s new AvantGrand N3X though its paces and discovers an instrument that packs the punch of a big-boned acoustic grand, combining traditional elegance with state-of-the-art technical wizardry

In addition to a thriving career as a virtuoso soloist, Piers Lane seems to have his fingers in every pie, from accompanying, teaching and broadcasting to running major international events in his native Australia. Jessica Duchen is astonished by Lane’s irrepressible energy and enthusiasm as he prepares for his 60th birthday celebrations

German pianist Martin Helmchen is a champion of core Romantic repertoire and has a particular interest in music and words. His forthcoming recital in London includes four of Schumann’s rarely played Novelletten and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations – the latter a work of ‘absolute’ music yet rich in poetic meaning

IP looks ahead to some specialist summer courses for pianists in Britain and the United States

Jeremy Nicholas was a member of the press jury at this year’s International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, reporting on an intensive round of semifinals in which many candidates opted for the same repertoire, despite the fearsome technical difficulties involved

British pianist Dominic John introduces 24 +1, his intriguing new album of varied and unusual preludes drawn from two centuries of music. Colin Clarke reports

Colin Clarke feels like a kid in a sweetshop as he explores the many facets of Pianoteq 6, the latest in virtual piano technology that offers an astonishing rage of sounds, from historic harpsichords to classic concert grands and electronic keyboards

Perhaps one of the greatest musicians in European jazz, Bengt Hallberg is also one of the most underrated. Andy Hamilton pays tribute to a modest, versatile and highly respected pianist whose music was rooted in his Swedish homeland and inspired by an encyclopaedic knowledge of popular song

Cecile Licad recalls her childhood in Manila, where the large record collection owned by her father inspired some of her first musical adventures as a child piano prodigy