Yuja Wang

Why are audiences unwilling to give new music a fair hearing? Michael Johnson urges composers to wait patiently for the recognition they deserve

Gender inequality among composers has come to be regarded as the norm in a field where the the fairer sex has been all but ignored – even in exalted musical circles. Charivari senses that the tide is at last turning, and invokes women composers to rise up and be counted

She may be tiny in stature and on stage her slinky dresses are clearly meant to thrill. Once at the keyboard, however, the 30-year-old Chinese pianist Yuja Wang cuts a seriously commanding figure who tackles the most challenging repertoire with fearless self-confidence and profound artistry. Stephen Wigler meets a sensational young player who seems to defy expectations at every turn.

Pianist Penelope Thwaites has long been a passionate advocate of the music of Percy Grainger, celebrating its irreverent, eccentric genius in the recital hall and on disc. Her latest project is a recording that features works for two pianos, calling for unusual sonorities drawn from a range of musical sources

Over the past four decades, Chris Maene has quietly been building a piano empire in Belgium, encompassing everything from historic restoration to modern instrument sales. His dream, however, has been to launch his own concert grand that combines the best in modern materials and manufacturing techniques with the straightstrung construction and sound favoured by makers of yesteryear. Owen Mortimer travelled to Maene’s workshop in West Flanders to find out more

Jeremy Nicholas throws light on the hidden art of the répétiteur, first-rate pianists and all-round communicators who perform a vital but often unacknowledged role in the opera house

IP looks ahead to some key festival dates for your diary, from the glamour of the French Riviera to the laid-back environs of America’s Pacific Northwest

The eclectic composer and pianist Francesco Digilio has been treading in the footsteps of one of his musical heroes, David Bowie, making painstaking piano arrangements of the rock legend’s oeuvre. Claire Jackson reports

One of the most ambitious contemporary music projects in recent years, 250 Piano Pieces for Beethoven brings together 250 composers to write works for Beethoven’s 250th birthday in 2020. Colin Clarke takes up the story so far…

For high-quality audio on the go, the Astell & Kern AK300 personal music player o ers superb sound with massive storage capacity and sleek good looks. For Rafael Todes, it o ers a perfect solution for seasoned travellers who want to take their music collection with them wherever they are in the world

Defying traditional strictures of style, Herbie Hancock has explored the interaction between the worlds of jazz and pop music with an extraordinary degree of freedom and innovation. Having cut himself free from the apron strings of Miles Davis, Hancock developed his instinct for writing distinctive music with a huge popular appeal, sending him to the top of the commercial charts.

Listening to postwar radio and television broadcasts made a huge impact on John Lill during his childhood in the East End of London. His serious artistry is tempered with a sense of humour, where Beethoven rubs shoulders with The Goon Show