Lectures
Farhan Malik has lectured widely on historical pianists and their recordings, late 19th-/early 20th-century performance practice, and other topics related to 19th-century piano playing. A small sample of specific topics he has lectured on is listed below. His talks have been presented at universities, music festivals, and conferences, including the Rarities of Piano Music Festival in Husum, Germany, the International Keyboard Institute and Festival, the Scriabin Society of America, the American Liszt Society, Portland Piano International, Dartmouth University, The Golandsky Institute at Princeton University, Northwestern State Louisiana University, New York University, the Special Music School, and the Miami International Piano Festival, among others.
Lecture Topics
An Introduction to the ‘Golden Age’ of Pianists
Introduces the audience to some of history’s greatest pianists, including Paderewski, Godowsky, Hofmann, Moiseiwitsch, Cortot, Friedman, and Rachmaninoff, through discussion and selected historic recordings.
A Comparison of 19th- and 20th-Century Piano Playing
Explores the evolution of pianistic style and interpretation from the late Romantic era through the modern age. Drawing on historical recordings, written accounts, and performance analysis, this lecture contrasts the interpretive freedom and rhythmic elasticity of 19th-century performers with the playing of today.
The Russian Piano School
Traces the development of the so-called “Russian Piano School,” from its founding figures, Anton and Nikolai Rubinstein, to the great pedagogical lineages of Igumnov, Neuhaus, and Goldenweiser.
The Evolution of Rubato
Rubato has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past two centuries. I demonstrate how rubato developed from the old style with a strict left hand, as described by Mozart and Chopin, to the more familiar rubato in which both hands are freed from the beat. Concepts are illustrated through historical recordings and written testimony.
Learning from the Masters
What can today’s pianists can learn from the great performers of the past? The lecture explains which aspects of 19th-century style can be meaningfully incorporated to improve modern performance. Flexibility of tempo, tone production, rhetorical phrasing, voicing and other aspects of interpretation are examined.