Franck, Debussy, Beethoven & Schubert

With Prélude, Choral et Fuge, Franck published his first composition for piano in 1884, having already written countless works for organ. Similar to Shostakovich, whose late piano pieces were characterized by an orchestral sound, one can feel the focus on Franck's main instrument in the compositional style. Structurally, it is based on Bach's organ preludes and fugues, which the baroque master occasionally expanded with a slow middle movement. The Préludes by Debussy, a student of Franck by the way, only externally follow the tradition of Bach, Chopin & Co and maintain their very own, impressionistic character. Yu Kosuge presents a selection from the two 12-part cycles before she plunges into the world of virtuoso classical music in the second part of the concert with Beethoven's Pathétique and Schubert's Wandererfantasie. A recital of the extra class!

Recorded on January 21, 2022.