Longtime collectors of video recordings (VHS) of piano, both solo and with orchestra desire nothing more than a catalog listing only piano performances. This catalog provides the means whereby music professionals, average piano students, and piano aficionados can study piano performance in both its audio and video aspects. Part I provides information on nearly 200 piano performance videos that where personally heard by the authors. There is a brief evaluation of each video, the authors thoughts as well as the opinions of highly regarded critics in the music performance field. Part II lists supplemental video recordings containing performances by more than one pianist, as in collections, competitions, and documentaries. Part III cross-references the catalog by composer. Each composition relates to a piano performance listed in Part I or Part II. In some instances, the pianist plays only excerpts of compositions, but these musical fragments are included because they are the only VHS performances the authors could find by that particular pianist or simply because they are so representative of the pianist's style. The video recording provides an evocative look at the pianist, how he produces his particular sound, what hand position he prefers when playing a concerto, and his rapport with both orchestra and conductor. A useful tool for piano music enthusiasts, for those looking to hear piano performance, and for skilled pianists looking for new insights.

Pianists—their lives, performances, and recordings—are detailed in this two-volume set. Each biographical essay emphasizes musical background and training, special influences on development, significant performances, and more. Performance is analyzed and emphasis given to style and repertoire. For those pianists who recorded, there are selective discographies and reviews of outstanding recordings. The authors attended many performances and often supply a personal dimension to the discussions. This readable work, containing extensive documented coverage of 100 artists, will be appreciated by scholar, student, and music buff alike. As a sourcebook, this work contains biographical data; style analyses (culled from reviews, recordings, articles, and essays); pedagogical history and methods, when applicable; lists of selected references and reviews; and a representative discography. The result is an objective, thorough presentation of the lives and performances of 100 notable pianists. The list initially derived from correspondence with pianists and pedagogues in music conservatories and colleges throughout the United States and after eight years of research in both libraries and concert halls. The text reads easily (and is fascinating), but the vast amount of information and the careful scientific analysis make it a scholarly work of the highest order, useful to graduate students as well as the general public.