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Matthew Ash
Product Manager, Recorded Music
Matthew is a solo and collaborative pianist with a passion for all music involving the piano, including solo works, lieder and song, chamber music and concertos. He also has a love for opera, orchestral and choral music, folk and jazz. He completed MMus studies at Lancaster University, writing his dissertation on recordings as evidence of changing performance practice in the music of Chopin.
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Alfred Brendel (1931-2025)
The legendary Czech-born Austrian pianist, writer, poet and artist has died at the age of 94, surrounded by family at his home in Hampstead Heath.
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Leif Ove Andsnes on Via Crucis
The Norwegian pianist talks to Matthew Ash about the challenges and unique beauty of Via Crucis, his long relationship with it and the pieces he chose to complete the programme.
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Mariam Batsashvili on Influences
Mariam Batsashvili's new album, Influences, is a chronological journey through sonatas that she holds close, spiritually and musically. Ahead of her BBC Proms appearance, playing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on 27th July, she spoke with Matthew Ash about the new album and her connection with the music.
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Influences
Mariam Batsashvili (piano)
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Yevgeny Sudbin plays Scriabin
Yevgeny Sudbin returns to the music of Scriabin in a new album of nicely selected solo piano works which demonstrate the variety of the composer's writing, and the pianist's open and incisive approach to understanding and expressing each piece on its own terms.
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Liszt from Leif Ove Andsnes
The Norwegian pianist explores the reflective and portentous sides of Liszt, combining a little-known and overtly religious work for piano, choir and soloists with transfixing interpretations of some of his best-known and most beloved solo pieces.
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More Chandos titles now made available on Presto CD
We’re excited to announce the addition of more Chandos titles to our Presto CD offering, including albums representing the diversity of music characteristic of this label, and many of them having been unavailable on CD for several years.
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Piano Music Round-up - World Piano Day 2025
It's day 88 of the year, which makes it World Piano Day 2025. As the world celebrates all things piano related, Matthew Ash launches his quarterly round-up of new piano releases, uncovering a diverse array of pianists, repertoire and pianos.
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Nobuyuki Tsujii on Beethoven
Coinciding with the release of his Deutsche Grammophon debut album, and the reissue by DG of his earlier recordings, pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii spoke to Matthew Ash about his experiences, approaching Beethoven and learning new repertoire as a blind musician.
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Beethoven
Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano)
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Jeneba Kanneh-Mason on Fantasie
Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason talks about making her debut solo album (released earlier this month on Sony Classical), her journey with Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2, the attractions of Scriabin's soundworld, and the music of Margaret Bonds.
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Episode 57: James Rhodes on MANíA
James Rhodes talks to Matthew Ash about his new album MANíA (out now on Signum), in a wide-ranging conversation that reaches deep into a shared wonder at the power and beauty of music, as well as 4AM awakenings and coffee.
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Stephen Hough plays Stephen Hough
Sir Stephen Hough's latest release is a composer-pianist album for the 21st century, offering a colourful and virtuosic celebration of the past which encapsulates the eclecticism that is a strong feature of his musicianship and passion for life.
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Bertrand Chamayou on Ravel Fragments
Bertrand Chamayou talks about his new album, open-minded creativity, and a piano concerto you may not have come across before.
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Episode 56: Rufus Wainwright on Dream Requiem
The ever-eclectic Rufus Wainwright chats with Matthew Ash about his new choral work, Dream Requiem, and some of the passions and influences that continue to inspire his diverse musical creativity.
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Seong-Jin Cho in Ravel's complete solo piano works
Seong-Jin Cho has established himself firmly as a musician and pianist who uses his fluid technique to express a carefully chosen repertoire, placing the voice of the composer as the focus of his playing. His latest release proves to be a deft and subtle exploration of Ravel.
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Alessio Bax on Forgotten Dances
The Italian pianist discusses his latest album of dance-inspired music from Bach to Bartók on Signum Classics, splitting Bach fugues with his brother as a child, and his conviction that 'the magic is broken' if a performance simply recreates what happened in the practice-room...
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François-Xavier Poizat on Ravel
François-Xavier Poizat offers an insight into his love for Ravel, and his recordings of the composer's Complete Works with Piano (released earlier in November on Aparté). He also shares his admiration for Henle's painstaking work on their edition of Ravel's music.
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Charles Owen on Schumann and the piano
Charles Owen, described by Gramophone magazine as 'one of the finest pianists of his generation', has recorded a new album dedicated to the music of The Young Schumann, on Avie Records. Matthew Ash enjoyed a chat with Charles ahead of the album release on 15th November, about the new recordings, his development as a musician, the two-way nature of teaching, and pianos.
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Subtle Tchaikovsky from Bruce Liu
Three years after winning the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition, Bruce Liu has made a leftfield choice for his second album on Deutsche Grammophon, bringing his precise and subtle playing to Tchaikovsky’s main work for the piano, The Seasons.
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Kathryn Stott - Five For The Road
Kathryn Stott is bringing her long performing career to an end this year, and releases her final recording with cellist Yo-Yo Ma on Sony Classical, this week. Matthew asked her to pick five highlights from her huge catalogue of recordings, and to offer a glimpse into what makes each so special to her.
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Leif Segerstam (1944-2024)
The Finnish conductor, composer and multi-instrumentalist Leif Segerstam has died at the age of 80.
