David Fray | piano

This evening, the French pianist pursues last year’s exploration of Schubert with Four Impromptus D. 934, his second set of pieces. Over the course of these four pieces, we move from the spirit of freedom and fantasy of the first piece right through to the extremely wild and colourful nature of the last. The rich vein of inventiveness vies with the subtlety of the writing for piano, imbued with an aura of nostalgic lyricism. Schumann viewed them as the artist “reflecting on his past”. The whole of the second half of the programme will be devoted to Schumann with the famous Kreisleriana – eight thematically-connected pieces alternating between passionate love and highly fantastical visions. They encapsulate the genius of Schumann and are among the finest examples of Romanticism in music.

Production Théâtre des Champs-Elysées