EVGENY KISSIN
A devoted regular of the Festival (he was 22 at his first recital in Verbier in 1994), every concert by Evgeny Kissin is an event. The intensity of his playing, absolute sincerity, and limitless standards are qualities that captivate audiences at each appearance. For this recital, he pairs Chopin and Liszt with Beethoven’s Seventh Sonata and the enchanting Kreisleriana by Schumann.
Programme
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major Op. 10 No. 3
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Selection of Mazurkas
– Mazurka No. 27 in G minor Op. 24 No. 1
– Mazurka No. 29 in C major Op. 30 No. 4
– Mazurka No. 35 in A-flat major Op. 33 No. 4
– Mazurka No. 39 in G major Op. 41 No. 1
– Mazurka No. 51 in B major Op. 59 No. 3
Interval
ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Kreisleriana Op. 16
FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp minor S. 244/12
Kissin plays Liszt: Liebeslied, S. 566 (After Schumann’s Widmung, Op. 25 No. 1)
In 1798, the young Beethoven was honing his artistic identity. The Seventh Sonata, which precedes the famous « Pathétique », gives the prodigious impression of an inner bubbling, of a genius in the making that was to revolutionise the piano landscape of the nineteenth century – and beyond. Starting with Schumann’s famous « Kreisleriana », that brings together the composer’s three pianistic heroes: influenced by the style of Beethoven, the cycle was composed for Clara Schumann and dedicated to Frédéric Chopin.
No doubt Schumann had in mind the twenty or so Mazurkas that Chopin had already composed, which take this Polish dance with its popular overtones to new heights of refinement. Liszt’s twelfth Hungarian Rhapsody is even more emancipated from the classical heritage, combining traditional gypsy scales with the most demanding virtuosity.
It’s hardly surprising that Evgeny Kissin, a magician of touch with legendary suppleness, has made this work one of his favourite pieces.