Programme:

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27/2 (Moonlight)
Alexander Scriabin: Fantasie in B minor, Op. 28
Fréderic Chopin: Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantasia in D minor, K 397
Robert Schumann: Fantasie, Op. 17

Cast:

Alexei Volodin – piano

The evening full of fantasy will begin with Beethoven’s sonata also called the Moonlight, which became popular during the author’s life. Its nickname originates from a comment made by the German critic and poet L. Rellstab, who noted that the first sentence of the sonata is like a “boat floating on the Lake Lucerne under the moonlight”. The next up is Skriabin’s composition, younger by 99 years. It is the only piece which the author composed between 1898 and 1903, allegedly forgetting about it. The pianist L. Sabanajev performed this composition supposedly in the composer’s apartment and Skriabin was in the next room, saying “Who wrote this? It sounds good.”

After Chopin’s and Mozart’s Fantasies follows Robert Schumann’s the Fantasy in C major, which he created during a stormy period of his life (1836-1839) when he permanently injured his hand preventing him from playing the piano. He was head over heels about Clara Wieck whose father forbade them to see each other. Schumann sent Clara a letter in 1838, saying: “The first sentence of the piece is perhaps the most precious out of everything I ever composed; it conveys my deep desire for you.”