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A 19 year-old virtuoso pianist from Russia has won one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world at a ceremony in Dublin last night. Nikolay Khozyainov became the ninth winner of the Dublin International Piano Competition, which takes place every three years & is this year celebrating its 25th Anniversary. Khozyainov (who began playing the piano aged just 5) was the clear audience favourite, receiving a huge ovation after his performance of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto. He won a prize of €15,000 & will perform at some 50 concerts around the world, including having debut recitals at Carnegie Hall in New York & the Wigmore Hall in London.

Cmusic News Released: 2012-05-17

The International Classical Music Awards ceremony is to take place in Nantes, France, tonight. These prestigious awards, judged by an international and independant jury, recognise 'outstanding productions of superior quality' & provide 'reliable guidance to music lovers'. In addition to recognising CDs/DVDs that are outstanding in their own particular genre, the ICMA also honours a number of exceptional individual musicians. This year the lifetime achievement award is won by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. He has been called Poland's greatest living composer, & his influence has been significant, stretching to the field of film score. His music has been used in films including 'The Shining', 'The Exorcist', 'Children of Men' & 'Shutter Island'. The Artist of the Year was won by French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, one of the world's leading Pianists, renowned both for his recordings & live performances. He is characterized by critics & audiences as mercurial, elegant, dynamic and poetic, & has performed with many leading international orchestras. German pianist Joseph Moog won the Young Artist of the Year. He has been called "one of the most interesting interpreters of his generation" & "examplefies a new magnetism for the classic audience".

Classical News Released: 2012-05-15

15 year-old Laura van der Heijden was victorious in the final of the career-making BBC Young Musician of the Year competition last night. She was crowned as winner after a brilliant performance of the Walton Cello Concerto. The concerto was originally written for the Russian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky in 1956, and has since been performed by such famous cellists as Yo-Yo Ma and Julian Lloyd Webber. Laura, who is of Dutch and Swiss heritage, lives in Sussex, England.

Cmusic News Released: 2012-05-14

Following the success of his score on Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel Studios brought Oscar nominated film composer Alan Silevstri back to work on their latest superhero blockbuster 'The Avengers'. For those of you perhaps unfamiliar with 'The Avengers' team, they are Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). On the opposing side will be the likes of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his “mysterious” extraterrestrial army. The film has already taken a staggering $641m (£396m) worldwide, we also went to see it this week and would thoroughly recommend it!

Cmusic News Released: 2012-05-11

Paul Simon and Yo-Yo Ma are to be presented with the Polar Music Prize by His Majesy King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at a gala ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall on the 28th of August. Each recipient recieves a total amount of one million Swedish Kronor. The Royal Swedish Academy of Music praised Simon for his "consumate skill, innovative arrangements and provocative lyrics" and said that "nobody else is more deserving of the epithet of 'world-class songwriter'". The academy also lauded Ma as "the leading cellist of our time" who had "united people from every continent" and "dedicated his virtuosity and his heart to journeys of musical exploration and discovery around the world". "[He] is living proof that music is communication, passion and the ability to share experience".
The Polar Music prize was founded by Stig Anderson (manager of Swedish group ABBA) in 1989. It was created to celebrate music in all its various forms, and to break down musical boundaries by bringing together people from all the different worlds of music.

Cmusic News Released: 2012-05-10

Maurice Sendak, creator of cult children's book 'Where The Wild Things Are' died on Tuesday at the age of 83. As well as entertaining generations of adults and childrens alike with his dark fantasy story, his influence also permeated through to the stage. Throughout the 1980s he designed sets for many operas and ballets including Mozart's The Magic Flute for the Houston Grand Opera and Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen at the New York City Opera. When asked about his designs, Sendak told one interviewer that during the creative process he listens to the music "because the answer to the artistic puzzle lies within the music." Sendak himself was a huge fan of classical music & cited Verdi's Falstaff ("the perfect work of art") and Mozart's Adagio for Glass Harmonica, K617a as two of his favourites.

Cmusic News Released: 2012-05-09

An extremely rare 17th century cello, hand-crafted by Antonio Stradivari, has been damaged during a photoshoot at the Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid, where the instrument is housed. The instrument was part of a set of Stradivarius instruments including two violins and a viola known as 'The Quartet', which were aquired by King Felipe V, who ruled Spain at the turn of the 18th century. Tim Ingles, head of the musical instrument department at Sotheby's auction house in London, revealed that the instrument is worth around $20 million. The damage is thought to be reparable, as the broken piece (which connects the neck to the body) is not an original, but a 19th century replacement. However, the cost of this work and the breakage's impact on the instrument's value is not clear.
Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) is considered the finest crafter of string instruments of all time. His instruments were renowned for their incredible sound quality and beauty, and still set an unattainable standard today. Stradivari made over 1000 instruments during his lifetime, of which around 650 remain. These are prized possessions housed in museums and personal collections around the world.

Cmusic News Released: 2012-05-08

Last night the C Music TV team had the pleasure of visiting London's iconic Abbey Road Studios for a showcase with South Korean pianist HJ Lim. Recently signed to EMI Classics, the 24-year-old has just recorded 'The Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas' , no mean feat for any pianist! We were blown away by her musicianship & passionate performance & are expecting great things from this rising star. Watch her playing Beethoven's'Moonlight' Sonata: I. Adagio sostenuto, here...

Cmusic News Released: 2012-05-03