Description
These previously unreleased live recordings from Lucerne present Sir Andras Schiff with two composers rarely found in his discography or concert programmes: Domenico Scarlatti and Gyorgy Kurtag. Though separated by centuries, both are masters of musical miniature. Although Schiff had already engaged with Scarlatti during his student years, the Baroque composer gradually disappeared from his repertoire. In Lucerne, he returned to Scarlatti with renewed insight, performing thirteen carefully selected sonatas in a dramaturgically shaped sequence. In response to the live setting, Schiff plays with bold risk-taking, vivid characterisation, and an acute sensitivity to sound. From Gyorgy Kurtag's Jatekok ("Games") - a diary-like collection of piano miniatures - Schiff presents an equally curated selection, incorporating suggestions made by Kurtag himself. Schiff studied with Kurtag for several years in Budapest and holds him in the highest esteem, praising him as a composer "who has an important opinion on every note and knows exactly how he hears it." Despite this admiration, Schiff had not recorded any of Kurtag's music until now. With this release, he pays tribute to Kurtag on the occasion of his 100th birthday on 19 February 2026.
