Vienna as a focal point: Franz Schubert and Arnold Schönberg come from the Austrian metropolis, while Johannes Brahms and Elisabeth Leonskaja later found their home here. Thus, this concert can be considered a Viennese gathering in the Ennepe-Ruhr district.

Appropriately, each of the mentioned composer giants has left a mark on Leonskaja’s career; during her performance, their works from different periods of creation will be presented. Brahms was a fiery young man when he composed his second piano sonata in 1852, taking another step on the ladder to global fame. Arnold Schönberg spent his life searching for recognition but consoled himself with the invention of twelve-tone music in his middle years, making an epochal contribution to music history. His Suite op. 25 is considered the first work fully composed using this technique. In contrast, Schubert’s “Fantasie Sonata,” with its far-reaching romantic sound world, is part of the late work of this genius, who died far too young, from the “world capital of music.” It was composed in 1826, two years before his death – and remains one of the milestones in Elisabeth Leonskaja’s repertoire.

Photo: Marco Borggreve