• Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Fantasia in C HXVII 4
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)Fantasia in G minor Op. 77
• Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) Fantasy in F minor Op. 49
• Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Wanderer D760

A thrilling recital by a master musician.Kirill Gernstein teased us with Fantasies by Master and pupil.Haydn’s rarely heard C major Fantasia linked up to Beethoven’s even rarer G minor .Played with a truly improvisatory flare that was a real jack in the box of delights.
And what better birthday present for Chopin than one of his greatest works restored to the noblest of spirits by an artist who could seduce as he could take our breath away with aristocratic dynamism.
Going full circle back to C major for a breathtaking account of Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy.
Played with sumptuous clarity and moments of sublime beauty and with an overall architectural shape that had us on the edge of our seats from the first to the last exultant notes.
A birthday gift for Thomas Ades too sharing the day with Chopin.Playing Ades’s Berceuse with the rattling of the cupboard door at the end that was enough to turn our golden dreams into nightmares.
A quite remarkable tour de force of musicianship and total mastery