Tomasz Lis: | Impromptus

Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, and Gabriel Fauré – these three names emblematically represent virtuoso piano music. Each of the three composers grappled intensively with the small, but not insignificant musical genre of the impromptu. The London-based, Polish pianist Tomasz Lis has also explored this delicate genre. On his album “Impromtus. Schubert – Chopin – Fauré”, he presents the most picturesque examples of the genre, musically uniting Romantic works of early nineteenth century with those of the fin de siècle. These highly demanding impromptus are characterised by a stunning, song-like pithiness, without becoming arbitrary or banal. In the hands of a world-class pianist, they awaken to a unique lightness, seeming exempt from the laws of gravity. Tomasz Lis also explores the pieces” dark, mysterious facets, which he highlights skilfully. Passionately performed by the young pianist, the twelve impromptus by Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, and Gabriel Fauré seem like a dozen butterflies which constantly move between light and dark in their very own world.