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Still piano sounds to hold attention

Moving between Romantic expression and ambient minimalism, this mix gathers piano music shaped by stillness, texture, and quiet detail.

From the intimate worlds of Lili Boulanger, Arnold Bax, and Leoš Janáček to the suspended tones of Harold Budd, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Masakatsu Takagi, the programme unfolds in a slow, reflective arc. Contemporary composers including Delphine Dora, Christina Vantzou, and Jerome Ellis bring a soft, exploratory edge, where melody dissolves into atmosphere. A quiet, continuous flow, designed to steady attention and soften the day.

To listen on most smart speakers, just 'ask BBC Sounds to play Piano Focus'.

Produced by Áine Devaney

A Reduced Listening Production for BBC Radio 3 Unwind.

29 days left to listen

2 hours

Last on

Yesterday12:00
BBC Radio 3 Unwind

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Music Played

  • Hooshyar Khayam

    Eastern Winds / For Peyman Yazdanian

    Performer: Hooshyar Khayam.
    • Tatari.

  • Cameron McRae

    Holding On, Then Letting Go

    Performer: Cameron McRae.
    • Fields and Fields.

  • Takagi Masakatsu

    Marginalia #209

    Performer: Takagi Masakatsu.
    • Marginalia #209.

  • York Bowen

    Berceuse in D Major, Op. 83

    Performer: Raphaël Epstein.
    • Berceuses au piano.

  • Lili Boulanger

    D'un vieux jardin

    Performer: Émile Naoumoff.
    • Boulanger, Lili and Nadia: In Memoriam Lili Boulanger.

  • Delphine Dora

    Mirage du temps

    Performer: Delphine Dora.
    • As Above, So Below.

  • Harold Budd

    Excerpt from Preludes for Solo Piano

    Performer: Harold Budd.
    • From The Kitchen Archives, No. 5 - Pianos in the Kitchen.

  • Irena And Vojtech Havlovi

    Piano & Violoncello 26

    Performer: Irena And Vojtech Havlovi.
    • Like a Butterfly On Your Palm.

  • Duncan Honeybourne

    Opalescence, Op. 72

    Composer: Ruth Gipps. Performer: Duncan Honeybourne.
    • Opalescence.

  • Ryuichi Sakamoto

    Perspective

    Performer: Ryuichi Sakamoto.
    • Playing the Piano 12122020.
    • Commmons.

  • Phil Smith

    Prelude for the Hinterhof (To LG)

    Performer: Phil Smith.
    • Tagebuch.
    • Kit Records.

  • Arnold Bax

    Lullaby (Berceuse), GP 224

    Performer: Eric Parkin.
    • Bax: Piano Music, Vol. 1.

  • Saori Miraku

    Ocean Song

    Performer: Saori Miraku.
    • Many Times on Earth.

  • Conrad Clipper

    Heron's Book Of Dreams

    Performer: Conrad Clipper.
    • Heron's Book Of Dreams.
    • Luau Records.

  • David Chesworth

    Apparent Heavenly Movement

    Composer: Tamara Anna Cislowska. Performer: Tamara Anna Cislowska.
    • The Persian Hours: Mystical Piano Music.

  • Ivana Gavrić

    Po Zarostlém Chodníčku (On an Overgrown Path)

    Performer: Ivana Gavrić.
    • From the Street.

  • Mark John McEncroe

    Natalie's Theme

    Performer: Helen Kennedy.
    • Reflections & Recollections, Vol. 2: Musical Images for Piano.

  • JJJJJerome Ellis

    Movement VII

    Performer: JJJJJerome Ellis.
    • Compline in Nine Movements.

  • Christina Vantzou

    Phantom Tunnel

    Composer: John Also Bennett. Performer: Christina Vantzou. Performer: John Also Bennett.
    • Landscape Architecture.

  • Tiago Sousa

    Overture

    Performer: Tiago Sousa.
    • Overture.
    • Discrepant.

  • Emile Mosseri

    Minari Suite

    Performer: Emile Mosseri.
    • Minari (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
    • MIlan Records.

  • Frédéric Chopin

    Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22: I. Andante spianato

    Performer: Eric Lu.
    • Andante spianato from Andante spianato et grande polonaise brilliante in E-flat.

  • Miloslav Kabeláč

    Eight Preludes for Piano, Op. 30: No. 5, Preludio notturno - Adagio - Dellicatam

    Performer: Daniel Wiesner.
    • Kabeláč: Piano Works.

  • Janine Hutton

    Share My Soul

    Performer: Janine Hutton.
    • BBC Introducing.

  • Joe Collier

    Reverie Breath You Take

    Performer: Joe Collier.
    • BBC Introducing.

Broadcast

  • Yesterday12:00
    BBC Radio 3 Unwind