Pianist – August-September 2026

Summary

Bertrand Chamayou talks Mendelssohn on the August-September 2026 cover of Pianist No 151, and the issue carries 40 pages of sheet music from beginner to advanced with a Kawai piano to win in the 2027 composing competition.

Issue 151 for August-September 2026 opens with Editor's Note on 4 and the 2027 Pianist Composing Competition on 6, then Good for the soul on 8 and the Bertrand Chamayou interview on 10. Two masterclasses sit on 14 and 16, with How to Play on 20, 22 and 24, and The Scores starting on 25. The back pages carry piano Teacher Help Desk on 67, The healing power of music on 68, Piano-Yoga on 74, The listening pianist on 76, Pianist Prime on 78, Album Reviews on 80 and Sheet Music Reviews on 82.

The next issue lands on 23 September 2026. For a player who wants 40 pages of scores and a competition to enter, the sheet music and the 2027 entry are the reason to buy.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story
p.10 · Bertrand Chamayou
The cover interview runs Bertrand Chamayou on Mendelssohn, naming the music and the approach behind it. It addresses the underlying magic named on the cover. Play one Mendelssohn Songs Without Words piece alongside reading this interview.

p.8 · Good for the soul
The soul feature carries the heart-and-soul cover line, naming music that lifts the spirits. It sets the mood theme of the issue. Put one piece named here on your stand this week.

▸ Competition
p.6 · Enter the 2027 Pianist Composing Competition
The competition page sets out the 2027 entry, naming the rules and the Kawai piano prize. It covers how to submit. Note the 2027 deadline and prepare one entry before it closes.

▸ Learn / Play
p.14 · Masterclass 1
The first masterclass runs a technique lesson, with the forte to fortissimo cover line behind it. It names the passage and the touch to use. Practise one dynamic change from this masterclass at the keyboard today.

p.20 · How to Play 1
The How to Play pages work a piece through, naming the bars and the fingering. Each stage ends with something to play. Learn the first eight bars using the fingering shown here.

p.25 · The Scores
The scores section runs the 40 pages of sheet music from beginner to advanced, named on the cover. It gives graded music in one block. Select one piece at your grade from these pages and start it.

▸ Regulars
p.67 · piano Teacher Help Desk
The help desk answers teaching problems, naming the fix per question sent in. It addresses the teacher as much as the player. Send one teaching problem of your own to the next help desk.

p.68 · The healing power of music
The healing piece covers music's effect on wellbeing, naming the repertoire and the setting. It ties to the soul theme. Play one piece named here when you need the mood lifted.

p.80 · Album Reviews
The reviews page runs new recordings, naming the pianists and the discs. Each entry states the release and a verdict. Buy one album reviewed here and compare it to the verdict.

p.82 · Sheet Music Reviews
The sheet music reviews cover new editions, naming the publisher and the grade. It addresses what to buy for a stand. Order one edition reviewed here for your next piece.

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Editor's Take

The strongest thing is the 40 pages of scores from beginner to advanced, because graded music in one block is what a player actually uses, and the Bertrand Chamayou interview on 10 delivers on the cover line about Mendelssohn's magic. The 2027 competition on 6 with a Kawai piano prize gives the issue a reason to act. The weakness is the wellness stretch: The healing power of music on 68 and Piano-Yoga on 74 sit oddly in a piano magazine, and the masterclass pages are shorter than the cover promise. It suits a pianist who wants scores and a competition, not someone after deep analysis.

Strengths
• 40 pages of graded sheet music
• Chamayou interview delivers on the cover
• 2027 competition names a real prize
• How to Play gives real fingering

Weaknesses
• Wellness pages sit oddly in a music title
• Masterclasses shorter than the cover promise

Verdict: Recommended — the scores and competition carry it, the wellness pages wander.