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

Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

Piotr Anderszewski – piano

Masterpieces of the piano repertoire by the Viennese masters Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven feature in this recital by the phenomenal Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski.

After his early piano sonatas, which Robert Schumann described as “veiled symphonies”, Johannes Brahms did not return to writing for solo piano until late in life. His final piano works comprise four collections of shorter pieces, published between 1891 and 1893 as Opp. 116–119. Their lyricism and concentrated form make them akin to abstract instrumental songs, expressed through Brahms’s characteristically delicate and refined piano writing.

Beethoven’s final piano sonata represents one of the pinnacles of his late period and a symbolic culmination of his entire contribution to the sonata genre. Unusually, it consists of only two movements: the dramatic and impassioned opening movement is followed by an expansive Arietta with variations, in which a simple theme is gradually transformed into music of an almost otherworldly quality. Composed in 1821–1822, the work leads the listener from struggle and tension towards tranquillity and reconciliation – as though, with his thirty-second sonata, Beethoven were bidding a final farewell to the genre itself.