Arcadi Volodos

Programme:

Frédéric Chopin:
- Mazurkas in B minor, Op. 33 No. 4; E minor, Op. 41 No. 2; and F minor, Op. 63 No. 2
- Prélude in C-sharp minor, Op. 45
- Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35

Franz Schubert:
- Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D 960

Arcadi Volodos plays as though an entire drama is unfolding at the keyboard. Every note tells a story, every turn of phrase surprises. Virtuosity, tension and depth merge into something that pulls the listener straight into the music. Even familiar works take on new dramatic life under his hands, filling the hall with intensity and making each moment feel singular.

Volodos, born in 1972 in St. Petersburg, is widely regarded as one of the great pianistic magicians of our time. His interpretations are celebrated for their poetic depth and technical brilliance. "I don't play for effect, but for the truth of the sound," he says - and that is exactly what you sense at every one of his concerts.

The programme opens with Frédéric Chopin: three Mazurkas - B minor Op. 33 No. 4, E minor Op. 41 No. 2 and F minor Op. 63 No. 2 - followed by the Prélude in C-sharp minor Op. 45 and the Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor Op. 35, whose celebrated Funeral March ranks among the iconic moments of piano literature.

The second half brings Franz Schubert's Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D 960 - a work of symphonic breadth and melancholic depth, and one of the composer's last great creations.

Performer:

Arcadi Volodos, piano