Piano Pieces [Paperback]

Russell Sherman has been hailed as that rarest of performers--a thinking man's virtuoso (Chicago Tribune), andPiano Piecesis his scintillating excursion into the world of piano and its multiple spheres of affect and influence. From pithy reflections on tone, technique, and the thorny matter of thumbs to ruminations on how such a machine could be the voice and repository of priceless human messages both lyrical and complex,Piano Piecesexamines the current status of music, piano-playing, and pedagogy through the noisy filter of contemporary culture.

Startling . . . Dreamily link observations about the experience of piano playing and a thousand other unexpected subjects. The New Yorker

The most original and arresting and powerful pianist today. Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe

I had always thought that words could not add very much value to music. ButPiano Piecesopened both my eyes and my ears. Russell Sherman plays on the page with as much mastery as upon the keyboard. His writingismusic,ismelody,iscounterpoint. On hears it even as one reads it. A tour de force. The passages on Chopin are particularly brilliant. Bravo! James Lord

Russell Shermanis an internationally renowned classical pianist who has performed with the country's leading orchestras. He was born in New York City and lives in Lexington, Massachusetts. He teaches at the New England Conservatory.