Daniil Trifonov (piano)

Virtuoso pianist Daniil Trifonov takes on a programme of musical fantasies, which show him at the peak of his musical powers, colours and imagination.

Classical music often uses structures that have worked throughout history. Sometimes, though, composers go off piste to explore the wilds of their own fantasy. We hear some of the results tonight. Schumann’s Fantasie is one of his greatest piano works, described by its dedicatee Liszt as ‘a work of the highest kind’. Mozart’s piece finds him in an introverted but passionate mood, while Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, based on French poetry, offers a more delicate, serene landscape. Scriabin described his one-movement Sonata No 5 as a ‘poem’ and the best work he’d ever written.

In the driving seat for these very different emotional rollercoasters is Russian star Daniil Trifonov. Still only 31, he’s captured the world with virtuosic playing that reaches straight to the heart of music and connects directly with your soul. Fasten your seat belts.