The Essay: The Piano in Five Pieces

Pianist and writer Stuart Isacoff is the presenter in the second of two programmes about the piano. He explores how the piano's 'four sounds' - melody, rhythm, harmonic chemistry - and the instrument's vast dynamic range have shaped the music over the past 250 years. He mixes the baroque with the rock 'n' roll, comparing Beethoven with Jerry Lee Lewis and Debussy with Jazz pianist Bill Evans, to reveal how piano music transcends traditional chronological categories