The Keyboard Trust and the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation together with Music al British in Florence presented Sherri Lun with a fascinating programme that started and finished with two of the most important works in the Romantic piano repertoire. Chopin’s last great masterpiece the Polonaise- Fantasie where Chopin had created a completely new form that was so revolutionary for it’s time that it was only many years after his death that it was finally recognised for it’s genial invention and poetic beauty. Beethoven’s shortest Sonata,but one of the composers favourite for it’s beauty and simplicity, opening the gate to the composers last period of his thirty two sonatas that spanned his entire life story.

’Widmung’ and the Fantasie were outpourings of love by Robert Schumann for his future wife Clara .It is fitting that Sherri should include a composition by Clara Schumann too, who apart from being the mother of Robert’s eight children was the first woman virtuoso of the piano and a quite considerable composer in her own right.This nocturne published at the same time as Robert’s Fantasie uses Robert’s theme from the Fantasie and is a secret love trist between them. ‘Widmung’ was Robert’s wedding present to Clara and was a fitting close to this concert dedicated to one of the greatest love stories ever told. Sherri had played the Chopin and Schumann Fantasies just two days before this Italian tour , in London, and I reviewed them here :

.Sherri Lun in Perivale ‘Maturity and mastery of intelligence and refined poetry’
https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2025/03/12/sherri-lun-in-perivale-maturity-and-mastery-of-intelligence-and-refined-poetry/

What I did not know until Christopher Elton,her teacher, told me, was that the Schumann op 17 was a new work in her repertoire and so Vicenza was only the second time she had played it in public! She has since played it in Venice, Padua and Abano.

Florence, the last date of this tour, marks Sherri’s sixth performance! It was remarkable in Perivale and as Christopher had so rightly said it is getting even better with every performance! ‘Widmung’ has long been in her repertoire and she played it with phrasing of breathtaking beauty. The exhilaration of Liszt’s embellishments brought the greatest love story ever told onto the concert platform with heartrending sensibility and passionate involvement.

Beethoven’s favourite sonata was played with a crystalline clarity and refined musicianship that just illuminated the grace and charm that Beethoven could express for ‘Thérèse’ who may very well have been the ‘Immortal beloved’ of much speculation. After the glorious opening ‘Adagio cantabile’ of simple unadorned beauty, there was refined phrasing and a constant flowing tempo in the ‘Allegro ma non troppo’ that follows.The ‘Allegro vivace’ was played with a jeux perlé jewel like precision which just flowed from Sherri’s fingers with simple mastery. After another wonderful performance of the Schumann Fantasy where the coda of the first movement was always ever more touching, and where the whispered beauty of the ending led to minutes of aching silence when the audience and the performer could savour together the magic that had been recreated.The concert had also included a memorable performance of Chopin’s Polonaise – Fantaise that was played with poetic beauty and dynamic heroism.The streams of sounds that poured out of the first imperious chords were merely vibrations of sound on which was born the gently militaristic Polonaise. A central episode played with poetic beauty and a ravishing sense of balance gradually led to the glorious final outpouring of magnificence and not a little nostalgia for the homeland that Chopin had left at eighteen and was destined never to see again. After his death in his adopted city of Paris his bodily remains were buried in Père Lachaise cemetery but his heart was brought back to Poland where it had always belonged. An extraordinarily robust ending from a delicate looking young musician who evidently has a tiger hidden within.

Beethoven Sonata No.24 in F-sharp major, Op.78

Chopin Polonaise Fantasie in A-flat major, Op.61

Clara Schumann Nocturne Op.6 No.2

Schumann Fantasie in C major, Op.17

Schumann/Liszt Widmung

The Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61 was dedicated to Mme A. Veyret, and written and published in 1846. It was slow to gain favour with musicians, due to its harmonic complexity and intricate form.Its shape and its style caused much consternation and it was quite some time before listeners could come to terms with it as ‘the piano speaks here in a language not previously known’.The “Polonaise-Fantaisie” is among Chopin’s last great piano works, and is a testament to his mastery and maturity. The unusual title betrays the fact that Chopin was uncertain about which genre to assign it to. While the typical rhythm and noble character of the Polonaise repeatedly shine through the notes, the Polonaise-Fantaisie is characterized above all by a great freedom in its thematic and formal aspects. The work brushes through a great variety of keys, moods and motifs, and leads into a grandiose closing apotheosis as if at the end of a long journey.One of the first critics to speak positively of the work was Arthur Hedley,writing in 1947 said that it “works on the hearer’s imagination with a power of suggestion equaled only by the F minor Fantasy  or the Fourth Ballade .He suggested that the Polonaise-Fantaisie represents a change in Chopin’s style from ‘late’ to ‘last’.It is suggested that the formal ambiguities of the piece (particularly the unconventional and musically misleading transitions into and out of the lyrical inner section) are the most significant defining qualities of this ‘last style’, which only includes this and one other piece—the F minor Mazurka op 68 n. 4 Chopin’s last composition.”,

The Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major , Op. 78, nicknamed “à Thérèse” (because it was written for Countess Thérèse von Brunswick in 1809).

It consists of two movements:

1. Adagio cantabile — Allegro ma non troppo
2. Allegro vivace

According to Carl Czerny , Beethoven himself singled out this sonata and the “Appassionata ” Sonata as favourites (once written, the “Hammerklavier “ Sonata” would also become one of Beethoven’s favourites

The Fantasie in C, Op. 17, was written by Robert Schumann in 1836 and revised prior to publication in 1839, when it was dedicated to Franz Liszt. It is generally described as one of Schumann’s greatest works for solo piano, and is one of the central works of the early Romantic period.

Its three movements are headed:

1. Durchaus fantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen; Im Legenden-Ton 
2. Mäßig. Durchaus energisch –
3. Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten.
   The piece has its origin in early 1836, when Schumann composed a piece entitled Ruines expressing his distress at being parted from his beloved Clara Wieck (later to become his wife). This later became the first movement of the Fantasy.Later that year, he wrote two more movements to create a work intended as a contribution to the appeal for funds to erect a monument  to Beethoven  in his birthplace, Bonn . Schumann offered the work to the publisher Kirstner, suggesting that 100 presentation copies could be sold to raise money for the monument. Other contributions to the Beethoven monument fund included Mendelssohn’s Variations sérieuses
   The original title of Schumann’s work was “Obolen auf Beethovens Monument: Ruinen, Trophaen, Palmen, Grosse Sonate f.d. Piano f. Für Beethovens Denkmal”. Kirstner refused, and Schumann tried offering the piece to Haslinger in January 1837. When Haslinger also refused, he offered it to Breitkopf & Hartel in May 1837. The movements’ subtitles (Ruins, Trophies, Palms) became Ruins, Triumphal Arch, and Constellation, and were then removed altogether before Breitkopf & Härtel eventually issued the Fantasie in May 1839.
   The work was dedicated to Franz Liszt , who replied in a letter dated June 5, 1839: “The Fantaisie dedicated to me is a work of the highest kind – and I am really proud of the honour you have done me in dedicating to me so grand a composition. I mean, therefore, to work at it and penetrate it through and through, so as to make the utmost possible effect with it.”
   The Beethoven Monument was eventually completed, due mainly to the efforts of Liszt, who paid 2,666 thaler,the largest single contribution. It was unveiled in grand style in 1845, the attendees including Queem Victoria  and Prince Albert, and many other dignitaries and composers, but not Schumann, who was ill.
   Schumann prefaced the work with a quote from Friedich Schlegel :
   Durch alle Töne tönet
   Im bunten Erdentraum
   Ein leiser Ton gezogen
   Für den, der heimlich lauschet.
   (“Resounding through all the notes
   In the earth’s colorful dream
   There sounds a faint long-drawn note
   For the one who listens in secret.”)
   The musical quotation  of a phrase from Beethoven’s song cycle An die ferne Geliebte  in the coda of the first movement was not acknowledged by Schumann, and apparently was not spotted until 1910.The text of the passage quoted is: Accept then these songs [beloved, which I sang for you alone]. Both the Schlegel stanza and the Beethoven quotation are appropriate to Schumann’s current situation of separation from Clara Wieck. Schumann wrote to Clara: The first movement may well be the most passionate I have ever composed – a deep lament for you. They still had many tribulations to suffer before they finally married four years later.

The six Soirees musicales, Op. 6. Robert Schumann himself was appreciative enough of Clara’s romantic ”Notturno”, Op. 6 No. 2, (growing from the five falling-note motif so symbolic for both of them while forbidden all communication by Clara’s father) to quote it as the ”Stimme aus der Ferne” in his last Novellette.

Widmung is much more than a mere showpiece – containing probably the most passionate music writing and most heartfelt feelings. Written in 1840 (this piece was from a set of Lieder called Myrthen, Op.25), this piece was later arranged for piano solo by Liszt . Myrthen was dedicated to Clara Wieck  as a wedding gift, as he finally married Clara in September, despite the opposition from Clara’s father (who was also Robert’s piano teacher).

Below is the text of Widmung, with English translation:

Original Text by Friedrich Rückert

Du meine Seele, du mein Herz,

Du meine Wonn’, o du mein Schmerz,

Du meine Welt, in der ich lebe,

Mein Himmel du, darein ich schwebe,

O du mein Grab, in das hinab

Ich ewig meinen Kummer gab!

Du bist die Ruh, du bist der Frieden,

Du bist vom Himmel mir beschieden.

Dass du mich liebst, macht mich mir wert,

Dein Blick hat mich vor mir verklärt,

Du hebst mich liebend über mich,

Mein guter Geist, mein bess’res Ich!

You my soul, you my heart,

You my rapture, O you my pain,

You my world in which I live,

My heaven you, to which I aspire,

O you my grave, into which

My grief forever I’ve consigned!

You are repose, you are peace,

You are bestowed on me from heaven.

Your love for me gives me my worth,

Your eyes transfigure me in mine,

You raise me lovingly above myself,

Sherri Lun, named ‘2020 Performing Artist of the Year’ by the South China Morning Post, has garnered acclaim for her “pinpoint clarity and convincing bravura” (Chicago Tribune). Born in Hong Kong and currently based in London, Sherri has swiftly established herself as a rising soloist on the international stage. A Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, Sherri made her concerto debut at the Ravinia Festival with the Midwest Young Artists at just 10 years old. Since then, she has performed in prestigious venues including Wigmore Hall in London, Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, and Millennium Park in Chicago. Her international appearances span the UK, US, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, and China. Sherri has also collaborated with esteemed ensembles such as the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Hong Kong Youth Orchestra, and Kölner Kammerorchester. Recent performances include the Hammerklavier International Piano Series in Girona, the Festival Musicale delle Nazioni in Rome, a 4-concert Malaysian tour, recitals in Steinway Hall London and Drapers’ Hall. In December 2023, she released her debut album with KNS Classical, featuring works by Robert Schumann and César Franck. Sherri’s artistry has been recognized with top prizes in numerous national and international competitions. Most recently, she won First Prize and Audience Prize in the 2024 Birmingham International Piano Competition, following her First Prize win at the 2023 Hong Kong Generation Next Arts Competition. Sherri also won top prizes in the Robert Schumann Competition (Du¨sseldorf), Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians, ASEAN International Chopin Piano Competition, Singapore International Piano Competition, and Steinway & Sons Youth Piano Competition, to name a few, and is a quarter-finalist of the 2024 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition. At the Royal Academy, she won consecutively the 2022 Sterndale Bennett Prize, 2023 Chung Nung Lee Prize, and 2024 Harold Craxton Prize. She was also invited to perform in RAM’s 2022 Bicentenary celebration concert in Wigmore Hall. In Hong Kong, she is a frequent winner of local competitions, and her performance has been broadcasted by the Radio Television Hong Kong. Born in 2003, Sherri majored in piano and viola as a junior student of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She is currently studying under Prof. Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music on a full scholarship, supported by both the Academy and the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme. She is also an artist with KNS Classical and the Keyboard Charitable Trust. For more information, visit http://www.sherrilun.com.

The Strand Rising Stars Series – Sherri Lun The magic and artistry of a star shining brightly

Sherri Lun at St James’s Piccadilly Poetry and grandeur with crystalline clarity and impeccable musicianship

Sherri Lun at Steinway Hall for the Keyboard Trust Mastery,passion and intelligence of twenty year old pianist.

Sherri Lun Keyboard Trust Italian Tour 2025 Part 1 and Part 2
https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2025/03/15/sherri-lun-keyboard-trust-italian-tour-2025-part-1/