The recital of Piotr Anderszewski, one of the most talented pianists of our time, will be filled with the works of great composers of the Baroque and Classical eras. The artist will perform selected preludes and fugues from the second part of Das Wohltemperierte Klavier by Sebastian Bach, as well as the Piano Sonata in A flat major no. 31 op. 110, a late work of the last Viennese Classicist, Ludwig van Beethoven.
“I decided to arrange the elements in order according to my own subjective choice […]. The idea of this particular order is to create a sense of drama, which is suggested by the cycle of twelve characters talking to each other, creating a mirror image. There is always a story in music, an emotional narrative where one work follows another and tells the story, no matter whether it’s a question of contrast or continuity. Looking beyond the counterpoint, I see preludes and fugues in Das Wohltemperierte as works-characters,” such is the genesis of his choice of twelve preludes and fugues from the volume according to Piotr Anderszewski. The pianist recorded them and released his fourth album with Bach’s repertoire in January 2021 on Warner Classics, winning high acclaim from the critics. In the interpretations of the pianist these works acquire a unique, noble colour, which affects the perfect harmony of each piece, as well as the entire set chosen by Anderszewski.
The evening will end with the sounds of the Piano Sonata in A flat major no. 31 op. 110 – the penultimate composition of this type by Ludwig van Beethoven. Although it would seem that in the composer’s oeuvre it remains overshadowed by the later Piano Sonata in C minor no. 32 op. 111, the latter being a synthesis of the genre in Beethoven’s legacy. The work to be performed by Anderszewski is unquestionably rich in expression. In the sound material of the sonata, Beethoven reached for both melodic turns full of subtle lyricism and those definitely more expressive, overflowing with spontaneous drama.