Strata / Poets of the Piano - NOSPR

The greatest poets of the piano brought together in a single programme! The echo of one of Chopin’s impromptus emerges from George Crumb’s miniature like a memory of ‘fading elegance’. But does the Polonaise in F sharp minor, with its wild flight and obsessive repetitions, really have anything to do with elegance? It has far more to do with an outpouring of the heart. Deux Légendes, or the two legends of the two Saint Francises – patrons of the great Ferenc Liszt – bear little resemblance to sentimental devotional images. Through pianistic mastery and formal freedom, they lead towards contemplation, whether religious or artistic.

Moments of grandeur and pathos can either uplift or weary us. Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata in A major, D 959 is one of those works that restores a sense of proportion. Its second movement, Andantino, is a liminal experience. A gaze into the abyss. Yet Schubert would not be Schubert if he did not allow glimmers of light to enter it. From one heart to another.

Adam Suprynowicz

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