Ariel LanyiJanáček’s mystery of the barn owlConciseness, which we value highly in writing, is not necessarily an asset in music. In writing, an excess of smooth transitions (“on the…Jan 3, 2021Jan 3, 2021
Ariel LanyiThe dilemma posed by Barber’s Pas de deuxMy favorite version of La valse is the orchestral one; I prefer it over the versions for both one and two pianos. Even the two piano…Dec 28, 2020Dec 28, 2020
Ariel LanyiDebussy’s nod to the past and to the near futureTrying to resist his natural temptation towards Wagner, which led to a bitter and later nationalistic resentment of the composer and the…Dec 20, 2020Dec 20, 2020
Ariel LanyiThesis, antithesis, and synthesis in Beethoven’s Tempest sonataComposers are experienced practical dialecticians, routinely engaged in reconciling opposites. A prime example, with a twist or two…Dec 12, 2020Dec 12, 2020
Ariel LanyiBrahms’s Op. 76 cycle: A study in idleness?Some years ago, in a masterclass with the renowned American pianist and teacher Jerome Lowenthal, I played Rachmaninoff’s beautiful E-flat…May 26, 2020May 26, 2020