Arcadi Volodos, piano

The Russian pianist Arcadi Volodos rose to fame with his hyper-virtuosic transcriptions of major orchestral works. But his solo recital in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall now reveals another side – one of deep emotion and Romantic introspection.



At the heart of the programme is Frédéric Chopin, who transformed the rustic Polish mazurka into elegant piano miniatures. Chopin also made a lasting mark with darker works – most famously the Funeral March from his Sonata in B minor, long associated with state funerals and cinema.

Before the interval, Franz Schubert’s Fantasy Sonata, composed just two years before his death, will be performed. Franz Liszt and Robert Schumann were enthusiastic about its free and romantic style, with the latter describing it as »perfect in form and spirit«. Schubert’s gravestone reads: »Here lies a rich treasure of music, but even fairer hopes.« This sonata shows just how much promise lay in a composer who wrote masterpiece after masterpiece before his untimely death.

PERFORMERS

Arcadi Volodos piano

PROGRAM

Franz Schubert
Sonata in G mjor, D.894 »Fantasie«

- Interval -

Frédéric Chopin
Mazurka in B minor, Op. 33/4

Frédéric Chopin
Mazurka in E minor, Op. 41/2

Frédéric Chopin
Mazurka in F minor, Op. 63/2

Frédéric Chopin
Prélude in C-sharp minor, Op. 45

Frédéric Chopin
Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35