Roman Borisov

Show & Culture

To blend in or to step off the beaten track? This program brings together conventional composers alongside more daring counterparts. A great admirer of Ludwig van Beethoven, Nikolai Medtner was open about his preference for tradition and a formal style, which is paradoxical given his idol's undeniable visionary character. Beethoven's Pathétique Sonata displays an emotional intensity that was unprecedented at its time. Improvisation and a taste for experimentation also abound in Franz Schubert's famous Impromptus and in the evocative Preludes by Impressionist composer Claude Debussy.