Claudio Arrau was one of the most distinguished and influential concert pianists of the twentieth century. His particular approach to the creation of sound was legendary. Concert pianist Ruth Nye studied with Arrau in New York and maintained a very active professional and personal relationship with the maestro until his death some 30 years later. Ruth Nye's performance career continued for many years until she developed Dupuytren's contracture of the fifth finger of her left hand, which left her unable to play professionally. Ruth Nye, MBE, FRCM, is now one of the most highly regarded piano teachers in the UK. This is the story of her life and her musical philosophy.

Internationally acclaimed pianist and teacher Claudio Arrau (1903-91) left a legacy that continues to touch piano students today. This book is an in-depth guide to Arrau's performance and teaching techniques, providing an insider's view of the art of piano playing as exemplified by one of the great artists of the twentieth century.

Piano Lessons with Claudio Arrau provides an insider's view of the art of piano performance as exemplified by one of the great artists of the twentieth century. Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau devoted his life to the piano and its music. As a child prodigy, he gained national recognition from government officials in Chile, including President Pedro Montt, who funded Arrau's education in Germany. Arrau studied in Berlin with Martin Krause, a pupil of Franz Liszt, and later immigrated to New York City where he taught and mentored a sizeable group of pupils while at the same time managing an international performing career. Arrau's profound musical insight and unique style of teaching inspired his pupils and motivated them to teach his principles to the next generation of students. This in-depth study of Arrau's principles and philosophy of technique and performance draws on information from published interviews with Arrau, from numerous interviews with Arrau's pupils, and from the author's experience in studying piano with two of them. Transcripts of actual lessons given by Arrau and preserved on tape present in his own words a detailed account of his technical and interpretive ideas about five major works of the piano repertory. References to over one hundred examples from Arrau's filmed recordings enable readers to observe the elements of Arrau's famed technique in action.

This volume explores the interrelation of international relations, music, and diplomacy from a multidisciplinary perspective. Throughout history, diplomats have gathered for musical events, and musicians have served as national representatives. Whatever political unit is under consideration (city-states, empires, nation-states), music has proven to be a component of diplomacy, its ceremonies, and its strategies. Following the recent acoustic turn in IR theory, the authors explore the notion of “musical diplomacies” and ask whether and how it differs from other types of cultural diplomacy. Accordingly, sounds and voices are dealt with in acoustic terms but are not restricted to music per se, also taking into consideration the voices (speech) of musicians in the international arena. Read an interview with the editors here: https://www.sciencespo.fr/ceri/en/content/international-relations-music-and-diplomacy-sounds-and-voices-international-stage