Maria João Pires plays Schubert and Debussy

Sit back and enjoy the ever-enchanting Maria João Pires in Paris, from the stunning Fondation Singer-Polignac! On the program are works by Debussy and Schubert, two of the many composers whose work the beloved pianist has long been celebrated for interpreting with subtlety, grace, and spirit.

Pires's Parisian evening begins with Schubert's Impromptu Op. 142, No. 3, known as "Rosamunde" as it takes up a theme from the composer's incidental music for Helmina von Chézy's play of that name. Next, the virtuoso interprets Debussy's Arabesque No. 1, one of the French master's most widely known pieces: poetry in music, lilting and delicate and full of Debussy's characteristic shifting tonalities. Pires moves on to Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 13, serene and exquisite, before closing the recital with Debussy's Suite bergamasque—including Clair de lune, the best known of the four miniature masterpieces.

Photo: Maria João Pires © Felix Broede