Franz Schubert
Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D 958

Johannes Brahms
Seven Fantasias, Op. 116

Johannes Brahms
Three Intermezzi, Op. 117

Johannes Brahms
Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118

Johannes Brahms
Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119

Piotr Anderszewski – piano

Masterpieces of the Viennese composers Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms form the programme of a recital by the phenomenal Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski. The Piano Sonata in C minor, D 958 is one of the three sonatas Schubert composed two months before his death in September 1828, which he intended to dedicate to his friend, the piano virtuoso Johann Nepomuk Hummel. The key of C minor is inseparably associated with the dramatic works of Mozart and, above all, Beethoven—not only today, but already in 1828. Schubert, however, transformed these strong Mozartian and Beethovenian influences into an entirely new and original synthesis. His monumental sonata breathes drama, tragic fate, and melancholy.

After his early piano sonatas—described by Robert Schumann as “veiled symphonies”—Johannes Brahms returned to writing for solo piano only in his later years. His final piano works consist of four sets of shorter pieces, published between 1891 and 1893 as Opp. 116–119. Their melodic richness and concentrated form make them resemble abstract instrumental songs, yet shaped in Brahms’s characteristically refined and delicate pianistic style.