Smiling through tears

Schubert’s Fantasie in C Major begins as if in a dream, with murmuring tones in the piano, and a bewitching violin melody emerging from the reverie. From this mysterious beginning, Schubert weaves a fantasy of such imagination and delight, showcasing the full ranges of both instruments and pushing the performers to their limits, both technically and musically. Evocative and highly engaging, Schubert’s Fantasie is a prime example from the early Romantic era.

Schoenberg can be divisive - much beloved and revered by musicians and music scholars, but sometimes feared by audiences! His “Phantasy” is a perfect introduction to this important composer - a composer who has been compared to Beethoven in his significance and depth. Although one of his later works (composed just before his death), the Phantasy is pure delight and fun! Full of whimsey and spontaneity, this short, imaginative work shows Schoenberg’s playful side!

It has been said that Brahms music is like “smiling through tears,” and his G Major Sonata certainly fits that description. This work of unsurpassed emotional depth captures in music the very essence of life, the human experience, and the beauty of being alive despite all its pain.