Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms were both extraordinary pianists who belonged to the European elite, as composers as well as performers. Their qualities as pianists found expression in brilliant works for piano, and deeply influenced their approach to the ‘lied’, in which the piano – as a true partner of chamber music – plays an essential role. Even now, a century and a half after they were written, the works of Liszt and Brahms can still surprise us with their finely-formed texture, rich harmonic idiom and balanced form.
Angelika Kirchschlager and Jean-Yves Thibaudet are applauded on the international music scene; for this recital they bring us the dialogue between voice and piano.