Cast
Mao Fujita — Pianist
Program notes
The marvelous Mao Fujita—a one-time student of the Verbier Academy, and now an internationally renowned solo artist and the recipient of many prestigious accolades—returns to the Verbier Festival for a sweepingly Romantic program, featuring works by Chopin, Liszt, and both Schumanns!
Inside the stunning Verbier Church for the 2022 edition of the Verbier Festival, the young virtuoso begins his recital with Chopin's Op. 48 Nocturnes, two of the most striking examples of his contributions to the genre, grandiose and poignant, rising nearly to the level of the Ballades in emotional power and musical structure. Appropriately, then, Mao moves on to the Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, alternately ebullient and tempestuous, and then the Ballade No. 2 by Chopin's friend and rival Liszt. Next up are Brahms's Theme and Variations in D Minor, a transcription of the second movement of his String Sextet No. 1, dedicated to Clara Schumann… whose Three Romances, dedicated to Brahms in turn, follow, a testament to the originality and profound musical mind of the undersung Schumann. The well-known, stirring Sonata No. 2 by Clara's husband Robert closes the program, intense and feverish with great thematic variety and breathtaking virtuosity.
Photo: Mao Fujita © Eiichi Ikeda
Mao Fujita appears courtesy of Sony Classical.
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