New Music Innovators from today... and the 19th Century

Published: Jan. 23, 2021, 12:31 p.m.

Tom Service talks to the pianist Piotr Anderszewski about a new album he’s recorded and edited featuring Bach's preludes and fugues – a project undertaken during lockdown. He reflects how the quest to achieve perfection is one of the drives that still keeps him searching, as well as what he describes as the need to 'tame the beast' – his piano. The scholar Laura Tunbridge, expert on 19th-Century lieder, reviews 'The Songs of Fanny Hensel', a new collection of essays edited by Stephen Rodgers about this pioneering composer and sister of Felix Mendelssohn, who remains mostly undiscovered. We hear from the violinist Maxim Vengerov about his latest project, an educational website designed to give masterclasses to both his regular students at prestigious institutions.... and any players from around the world who subscribe and who are selected for free lessons from an open lottery. We learn about the touching stories behind the first two winners. And we take a look at two projects aiming to engage young audiences and bring them to Classical Music, including 'Classics Explained' – a YouTube channel dedicated to short video animations that throw light on the greatest pieces of the classical repertoire; and a new radio station for children, 'Fun Kids Classical', which is reviewed by radio critic, journalist and broadcaster, Gillian Reynolds. Photo credit: Simon Fowler, © 2020 Parlophone Records Limited