SOUNDBOARD
We love sharing news from the piano world with you. Here are our recent posts.

Portland, the lovable teenager
Portland, for all of its flaws and foibles, is a pretty fantastic place to live. Yes, we longtimers may miss the old days when Downtown felt buzzy, clean and permanently populated, but despite its metaphorical mood swings, the city is still, like a typical teenager, a basically good-natured kid with admirable qualities. Regardless of some perennial challenges, it’s hard not to love a place that evokes such a deep sense of belonging and emits such joie de vivre. Because, let’s face it: Portlanders may be a little bit weird, but we’re loyal to our core. Portlanders stick to what we love, and we’re not afraid to show it.

When musical worlds collide … Musings on Nick Cave
As proven in physics and in romance, opposites attract. That is how, dear friends of PPI, I happened to find myself very recently at Portland’s largest music event space, the Moda Center, not attending a classical concert. Instead, there I was, shoulder-to-shoulder with black-clad, middle-aged Goths, geeks, and everything inbetween, eagerly awaiting the appearance on stage of iconic Australian rocker, poet and storyteller Nick Cave. With his band, The Bad Seeds, Mr. Cave has been as integral to my husband’s coming-of-age and being-in-the-world as Brahms and Beethoven have been to mine. And even though sitting in a plush seat in a darkened hall would always be my first choice for musical escapism and elightenment, I have to admit: There was something about that really loud, decidedly non-classical event that truly moved me.

What are our artists up to now?
When you picked up PPI’s season brochure last summer, you may have been completely unfamiliar with the majority of the names on the program. Angela Hewitt and Ilya Yakushev, surely those rang bells, but for the other recitals you probably just trusted our judgment blindly and came to support us anyway. We’re so very grateful that you did. After attending the performances and reading our season recap, we hope you feel grateful to your past self, too!

PPI Season 2024/2025 Recap
There’s a wonderful word in Dutch that really belongs in the English language (if we could adopt coleslaw and cookie, why not?) – the straightforward, unembellished verb NAGENIETEN.

PPI's Recordings Roundup for April
Discover four stunning new piano albums that capture tenderness, beauty, and the extraordinary landscapes of the human spirit — from Alice Sara Ott’s intimate nocturnes to Jeneba Kanneh-Mason’s radiant debut.

PPI's Recordings Roundup for September
This month we're listening to music by three composers who, despite living in different parts of Europe and writing in very different styles, have one thing in common: Their birthdays were celebrated in May!

PPI's Recordings Roundup for May
This month we're listening to music by three composers who, despite living in different parts of Europe and writing in very different styles, have one thing in common: Their birthdays were celebrated in May!

PPI's Recordings Roundup for April
It's always astounding seeing a solo pianist at work, a journey of agony and ecstasy in which the artist seeks to become one with the instrument. But watching two pianists at work — whether performing on two pianos or sharing one keyboard — offers a different experience altogether, one rooted in friendship and the joys of collaborative music-making.

Celebrate spooky season with three of our favorite spine-tingling piano works
Less than two weeks remain until countless ghosts, ghouls, and goblins take to the streets in search of chocolatey treats. So as you spend the dark evenings ahead carving pumpkins and festooning your front doors with cobweb mazes, here are three piano works to get you in a musical mood for Halloween.

PPI's new recordings roundup for June
With the official start of summer on the horizon, we're celebrating all the lazy days in the hazy sun that lie ahead — and all the romances that are kindled (or rekindled!) during the season of love.

Happy Piano Day: new recordings to celebrate
As we inch our way toward the first day of spring, we're listening to music that evokes the beauty of the impending season in ways both poetic and primal.

PPI's new recordings roundup for March
As we inch our way toward the first day of spring, we're listening to music that evokes the beauty of the impending season in ways both poetic and primal.

PPI's new recordings roundup for February
Nothing soothes the soul during the dark days of February quite like music. (Especially if it's accompanied by a hot toddy!) So if you're feeling an acute case of the mid-winter blahs, be sure to check out these albums we currently have on rotation.


PPI's new recordings roundup for September
Cozy season is here — and that means much more time on the couch curled up with a hot bevy and beautiful piano music. This month, we're sharing Krystian Zimerman's white-hot readings of Szymanowski, Víkingur Ólafsson's most personal album to date, and Cyprien Katsaris's virtuosic takes on Saint-Saëns's grand orchestral works.

Spend hazy summer days with new recordings of Bach concertos, Respighi art songs, and a tender Icelandic lullaby
With the official start of summer on the horizon, we're celebrating all the lazy days in the hazy sun that lie ahead — and all the romances that are kindled (or rekindled!) during the season of love.

New recordings from Yuja Wang, Lucas & Arthur Jussen, and Daniil Trifonov
Here are three new albums to check out and add to your playlist. The highlights include Yuja Wang's performance of Mendelssohn's Piano Sextet and First Piano Concerto with the Verbier Festival Orchestra; the brother-duo, Lucas & Arthur Jussen, in a fantastic DG album of two piano works; and Daniil Trifonov collaborates with the baritone Matthias Goerne in gorgeous lieder.

New recordings from Martin James Bartlett, Mitsuko Uchida, Daniel Barenboim
Here are three new albums to check out and add to your playlist. The highlights include Martin James Bartlett's sensational album with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and music from the art deco period. Mitsuko Uchida released the complete Beethoven Diabelli Variations. And, Daniel Barenboim plays piano "encores" as a prequel to celebrating his 80th birthday this coming November.

New recordings from Ruth Slenczynska, Lara Downes, Valentina Lisitsa
Here are three new albums to check out and add to your playlist. The highlights include 97-year-old Ruth Slenczynska's return on the Decca label after six decades; Lara Downes releases an all-Joplin disc which is unusual for a pianist of her calibre; and Valentina Lisitsa's first all-Scriabin album on the Naïve label.

New recordings from Igor Levit, Jan Lisiecki, Daniel Barenboim
Let's kick off the year with new recordings you might have missed from late last year. We've found Igor Levit's new album, Jan Lisiecki's single released ahead of the full album coming February 18, and lastly Daniel Barenboim's new single track added to Deutsche Grammophon's ever-growing playlist "Musical Moments.”