NEPTA Speaker Series: Mark Ainley

Recordings can bypass the constraints of time and space, enabling us to hear great musicians in our own home – including legendary performers who lived long before we were born. Historical recordings are more than just a curiosity: they offer a form of sonic time travel in providing a direct transmission from important artists – and even composers – playing in ways that often vary radically from present-day norms.

In this presentation, historical recordings expert Mark Ainley will share the sublime music-making of some master pianists of the past. As he explores these legendary musicians and what makes their performances so extraordinary, Mark will help you open your ears and expand your perspectives so you can perceive music in new ways and reconsider the nature of interpretation.

Mark Ainley is an internationally-known historical piano recordings expert who for forty years has explored the lives and artistry of pianists whose playing has been preserved since the dawn of recording technology. He has both co-produced the publication of long-lost recordings and written booklet notes and magazine articles about historical recordings, and he is particularly known for his pioneering work in locating and releasing unpublished recordings of the iconic pianist Dinu Lipatti. The author of the Historical Perspectives column in International Piano magazine, Mark presents both in writing and in live presentations insightful biographical insight, cultural context, and musical observations, highlighting in accessible language the qualities that can make musical performances so captivating and memorable.