Sit up and listen!
Dear friends of PPI
It’s been too long since we’ve focused our conversations with you solely on the pulsing heart of our business: The music itself! After all, there’s a reason we’re in this business to begin with: a borderline obsession with the crystalline sound of the piano. It makes my pulse race and the hairs on my arms tingle with joy to share with you, today, what I’ve been listening to (and watching) lately. Save this message for the next time you’re staring at your iPhone, nearing the precipice of continued scrolling. Go sit on your couch, pop in your earphones, and open this YouTube playlist. There you have it! 18 minutes of instant gratification without the brain rot!
Here’s what I’m sharing with you in the order that you’ll hear them played:
1) Rudolf Buchbinder – Schubert: 36 Originaltänze, D. 365: No. 1 in A-Flat Major
For a quick touch of joyful nostalgia and cheerful burst of waltz energy, listen to the opening track of the album Treasures, released by Deutsche Grammophon on May 29th this year to celebrate Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder’s eightieth birthday (watch him talk about the album here). What I particularly adore about this album, apart from its ambitious scope and the verve of Buchbinder’s signature touch, is the fact that it’s recorded on an upright piano. Although the liner notes do not disclose the exact make and model, Buchbinder himself explains that Schubert’s dances were written for private salons rather than massive concert halls, and that an upright piano therefore provides the ideal, grounded character for this music. I couldn’t agree more!
2) Katia and Marielle Labèque – Fanny Mendelssohn: Mélodie Op. 4 No. 2, Allegretto
Next up, another brand-new release celebrating a great milestone: Katia and Marielle Labeque’s 55, released on June 12th to commemorate 55 years of recording together! (Note to all the bickering sisters out there: Some sibling bonds lead to this! Get over your differences and make music together?) Because only marketing snippets are currently available on YouTube, I can only share a tasty amuse-bouche with you, but hopefully this dreamy melody entices you enough to find the entire album on your own favorite streaming platform. To echo The Guardian’s summary of the wide-ranging curation: “ … it reveals the extent of their omnivorous appetites, from 20th-century modernism to minimalism and jazz.”
3) Jan Lisiecki – Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482: I. Allegro
Now for some drama and classy fanfare – the crisp and optimistic “Allegro” of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major. I’m in good company feeling all fluttery about this recording: Once you’ve listened to the music, you can segue straight into Portland’s own John Pitman’s interview with Jan, earlier this year, where they discuss, among other things, Jan’s previous recording of the same work, and the evolution of his relationship to Mozart that occurred in the decade in between. Then start looking forward with even more fervor to Jan’s Portland Piano International debut on November 8th this year!
4) Tiffany Poon – “Träumerei” from Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen Op. 15 No. 7 (Live from Concertgebouw)
What never ceases to leave me breathless with wonder, is how the same piece can sound completely new with just the slightest variations of touch and tempo. Tiffany Poon’s interpretation of this portentious work (though classified as “intermediary” in some piano syllabi, it’s notoriously difficult to perform well) sounds, to me, just like Schumann intended: wistful and nostalgic, but flowing and sinuous. If this doesn’t bring your anxiety levels down several notches, I suggest you linger a little longer – and get yourself a subscription to PPI’s 2026-2027 season. One can only benefit from repeat exposure!