Piano virtuosi in our midst

Posted at 8:21 AM on August 17, 2011 by Alison Young

Fascinating piece in the New York Times about how pianists are getting better and better by the minute - technical virtuosity seems to be a given these days.

It seems you'll need to log in to the NYTimes to read the article, so here's a snippet:

The overall level of technical proficiency in instrumental playing, especially on the piano, has increased steadily over time. Many piano teachers, critics and commentators have noted the phenomenon, which is not unlike what happens in sports. The four-minute mile seemed an impossibility until Roger Bannister made the breakthrough in 1954. Since then, runners have knocked nearly 17 seconds off Bannister's time.

I'll have a few of the pianists he mentions on air today - Piotr Anderszewski and Alexander Romanovsky.