Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

One Day in 1932 Josef Hofmann, the American pianist, composer and inventor who had already spoken of the Steinway’s “extraordinary perfection of action,” came to Steinway Hall and said, “It isn’t quick enough: can’t you make it still more sensitive, still more responsive?” Hofmann’s challenge was the impetus to Steinway becoming the most responsive and…

Interview Anastasia Huppmann: “The main thing is to show what the composer wanted to say”, by Joe Hefferon Interview Anastasia Huppmann: What happens when a Russian rock guitarist and his designer wife make a bet about which vocation their daughter will choose? You get a little girl who by the age of seven was performing…

Stephen Hawking dead at 76, RIP: Professor Hello, dear fans. It’s a bit weird to post a physicist’s death here as a pianist, but something I’ve never told anyone before is that I actually wanted to become a physicist and people like Stephen Hawking were my idols. Through various events I became a pianist. But…

Beethoven 109: Grasping for Light Amongst the Darkness I often feel as if the piano and Beethoven were fashioned from the very same mould; somehow inextricably linked by their very design. I hear his echoes between each and every ivory and ebony key; as if he were still playing to this very day. Many feel…

Mondscheinsonate von Beethoven (moonlight sonata): “Über Gefühle, die nur die Musik kennt” (if you like, there is an article of the moonlight sonata in ENGLISCH) Es gibt diese Musikstücke, die man einmal hört, und nie wieder vergisst. Eines der wohl schönsten Beispiele dafür ist für mich die Mondscheinsonate des großen Ludwig von Beethoven. Sie hat…

Chopin Nocturne No 20: The Darkest Hour Occurs Immediately Before the Dawn Frederic Chopin composed no fewer than 21 nocturnes over the course of his career and some would argue that his Nocturne in C# Minor Opus 20 is one of the most famous. Hauntingly melancholic and interspersed with a host of melodic flavours, this…

Dancing with Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 Of all Franz Liszt’s nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies, No. 2 in C# Minor is the most celebrated. Inspired by the Hungarian folk music that Liszt came to love as a youth, the manner in which the vigour and playfulness of these inspirations is so nakedly displayed in Liszt’s music…

Revolutionary Etude Op 10 No 12: A Melodic Shot Across Time I have always respected Chopin for his ability to transcribe his emotions directly into the pieces that he wrote. Revolutionary Etude Op 10 No 12 is perhaps one of the best examples of this talent. It was written during the time that the Russians…

Inspiration, Force and Vigour: Chopin Polonaise Op 53 in A-Flat Major Written in 1842, Chopin Polonaise Op 53 (Heroic) is thought by many to represent the pinnacle of his success as well as a clear indication of how technically proficient he had become by this time. Chopin was a composer who was deeply affected by…

Beethoven Appassionata: A Torrent of Expressive Emotion Beethoven is one of the most renowned composers to have ever lived and within his sheer volume of work, a handful of pieces serve to at least partially define the depths of this composer. One example is certainly the famous Beethoven Appassionata. Full of sound and raw emotional…

Chopin Black Keys Etude Op. 10 No. 5: An Exercise in Light-Hearted Frivolity Chopin Etude Op 10 No 5 is one of the most celebrated pieces from this renowned pianist and composer. Indeed, many consider this oeuvre to be exceedingly challenging even for advanced artists. However, this was not the reason that I decided to…

Fantaisie Impromptu in C# Minor: An Odyssey of Melodic Genius Frédéric Chopin is undoubtedly one of the most famous pianists of all time. Even those who are unfamiliar with classical music can identify one or more of his tunes; largely due to the fact that have been featured in many modern films. However, to truly…

When you hear of the Mephisto Waltz, what comes to mind is the No. 1 in the series of four waltzes by Franz Liszt. No. 1 is the most popular of the Mephisto Waltzes with renditions from different classical pianists. It is a dramatic piece that has always been a favourite of concertgoers around the…

Moonlight Sonata: An Emotional Dance with Beethoven (Wenn Sie möchten gibt es einen Artikel zur Mondscheinsonate auch auf DEUTSCH) Technically known as Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# Minor, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata is arguably one of the most beautiful pieces for piano ever written. It is actually interesting to mention that this piece was originally…

The Ocean Etude: A Study in Uncharted Emotional Depths Mournful. Yearning. Sublime. Sentimental. These are four of the numerous words which can be used to describe the emotional qualities contained within Opus 25 No. 12 composed by Chopin. Often referred to as the “Ocean Etude”, this piece is the final work within the entire set…