Schumann / Beethoven / De Groot / Mengelberg - Papillons/ Son 23 (Fm)Con Pno - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

ETERNALLY unfolds with tactile intimacy and bold experimentation, pairing dynamic contrasts with finely tuned grooves. Crafted with care and built for replay value. Expect forward momentum and chiming keys, with anthemic choruses that linger long after the last note. A compelling listen for fans who crave song-first perspectives and craftsmanship.

Multi-award winning pianist Sarah Beth Briggs earned multiple plaudits for her previous Avie recordings- a Gramophone Critics' Choice for her pairing of concertos by Hans Gal and Mozart, and a Gramophone Editor's Choice for her Briggs Piano Trio's pairing of works by Gal and Shostakovich. For her first solo recital recording for Avie, Sarah turns to some of the greatest collections of Romantic miniatures, largely inspired by one woman Clara Schumann, wife of Robert Schumann and muse to Johannes Brahms. The twelve short dance movements of Schumann's early and enigmatic Papillons set the scene, giving way to autumnal, late Brahms- his Op. 117 Intermezzi and Op. 118 Klavierstucke. The album ends as it begins, with youthful Schumann and his lovingly crafted Kinderszenen, written over half a century earlier.

In these two works Schumann presents his inner world of characters from the fictitious Davidsbund based on the novels of Jean-Paul, featuring such diverse personalities as Flores tan, Eusebius, Estrella, Chiara, characters with whom Schumann identifies his own opposing characteristics. Flores tan is his fiery, heroic and impulsive side; Eusebius is his tender, reflective and dreamy side. Denis Proshayev plunges deep into this dreamlike world, letting his fantasy run free on the whims of Schumann's 'fantastic' outpourings. His playing is totally free and spontaneous, whilst never losing the logical thread of the musical discourse.