Radio 3's Piano A to Z
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Radio 3's Piano A to Z
BBC Radio 3's Piano A to Z
Recent Episodes
26 episodesZ for Zany
The alphabetical exploration of the piano concludes with Z for Zany, an affectionate look at the role of the piano in comedy. Told at the keyboard by...
Y for Yellow River
In 1969 at the height of the Chinese Cultural Revolution the Yellow River Piano Concerto, commissioned by Madame Mao, received its highly politicised...
X for X-treme
Although every instrument has a history of extreme techniques, the piano seems to have attracted more than its fair share of people wanting to see how...
W for Workshops
What goes into the making of a piano? How do the pianos of today differ from those which Liszt or Debussy might have played? In the central London wor...
V for Virtuoso
Virtuoso is a term applied to many of the world's top pianists of today. With its roots in the Italian usage of the 16th and 17th centuries, a virtuos...
U for Upright
‘A sort of musical fungus attached to the walls of semi-detached houses in the provinces’ is how celebrated conductor and fount of bons mots Sir Thoma...
T for Tuning
The issue of tuning has been a live one ever since Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras was pinching strings and scratching his head over ha...
S for Sustain
The sustain pedal, usually the one on the right, is the most commonly used pedal in a modern piano. When pressed it sustains all the damped strings on...
R for Repetiteur
Répétiteurs are so much more than just pianists. Sure, they have to be able to get around the keyboard. But they also have to be able to read the mult...
Q for Queues
Which great pianists would be worth queuing for? Piano fans queued around the block in 1965, to see the return of Vladimir Horowitz, one of the centur...
P for Page Turner
It should be simple. All you have to do is turn a page of a score while the pianist’s hands are otherwise engaged. But page turning is fraught with di...
O for Orchestra
How do you practice a concerto without an orchestra? Who controls a concerto - conductor or soloist? Are there any similarities between taking the rol...
N for Novels
The piano has played a starring role in some the nation's best loved novels, acting as a signifier of everything from social class to seduction. Profe...
M for Movies
Piano improviser extraordinaire, Harry the Piano, silent film accompaniment specialist Neil Brand and writer and broadcaster Matthew Sweet – all exper...
L for Left Hand
The right hand may be the belle of the ball but the left hand is no dowdy Cinderella. The left hand is a fundamental part of piano music - literally,...
K for Keys
There are sad keys and glad keys, so they say; F sharp minor is turbulent and C major is sunny. Every pianist knows how a key feels under their finge...
J for Jazz
Ever since the early ragtime of Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton the piano has been a key instrument in the development of Jazz. Associated with the...
I for Improvisation
Some people can do it and some can't – sit down at the keyboard and simply make music up on the spur of the moment. The piano can be the perfect inst...
H for Hiring
Often when a concert pianist steps onto the stage to perform, they have to play a piano that has been hired. Surprisingly, while many are in great sha...
G for Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly re...
F for Fingers
The piano is an unusual musical instrument in that all ten digits of the performer can be used to sound different notes simultaneously. Fingers need p...
E for Encores
There's an art to choosing and performing an encore, even for the world's top pianists. Being invited to return to the stage calls for a choice that c...
D for Duets
The piano is rare in that it's an instrument that can be played by two people at the same time. The intimacy of sharing a stool and playing shoulder t...
C for Competitions
Competitions are a vital part of many classical pianists' careers. They are a testing ground, and a way to get noticed in a crowded field. But are the...
B for Boogie-Woogie
This is an energetic and rhythmic style of piano playing that originated in the Southern States of America in the early 20th century. The rumbling lef...
A for Action
The action, or hammer mechanism, is the defining development in the history of the piano. It is the complex mechanical balancing act connecting the pi...