Description
Featuring Brahms' Piano Sonata No.2 in F-sharp minor, Op. 2 and Schumann's Fantasie in C major, Op. 17 pianist Nikolaas Kende joins together works that Brahms wrote at the beginning of his career, compared to Schumann's Fantasie which found him at a deeply emotional crossroads in his life. They epitomize the Romantic ideal: music as both architecture and poetry, form and feeling and offer a narrative that is as biographical as it is musical. Schumann, the elder Romantic visionary, extended his hand to the young Brahms, recognizing in him a worthy successor. When heard together, Brahms's Sonata and Schumann's Fantasy form a kind of diptych: one work full of searching intensity and structural ambition; the other a kaleidoscope of love, longing, and poetic reflection. Both are deeply human documents, written from the heart, and rendered in the language of the piano at its most expressive. Nikolaas Kende has earned acclaim for his poetic touch, expressive artistry, and deeply honest musicality. Described by Le Progres as a "poet in every inch of his fingers," his playing is celebrated for its sensitivity, vision, and flawless technique in service of the music. A sought-after soloist and chamber musician, he regularly appears on international stages.
