András Schiff - Lucerne Festival (CD)

András Schiff plays Scarlatti & Kurtág

András Schiff has been closely associated with Lucerne Festival for 35 years. These live recordings from 1998/99, now released for the first time, present him interpreting two masters of the miniature: Schiff performs the short pieces with a love of risk, a great art of characterisation and a tremendous sense of sound. These previously unreleased live recordings from Lucerne present Sir András Schiff with two composers rarely found in his discography or concert programmes: Domenico Scarlatti and György Kurtág. Though separated by centuries, both are masters of musical miniature. Although Schiff had already engaged with Scarlatti during his student years, the Baroque composer gradually disappeared from his repertoire. In Lucerne, he returned to Scarlatti with renewed insight, performing thirteen carefully selected sonatas in a dramaturgically shaped sequence. In response to the live setting, Schiff plays with bold risk-taking, vivid characterisation, and an acute sensitivity to sound. From György Kurtág's Játékok ("Games") - a diary-like collection of piano miniatures - Schiff presents an equally curated selection, incorporating suggestions made by Kurtág himself. Schiff studied with Kurtág for several years in Budapest and holds him in the highest esteem, praising him as a composer "who has an important opinion on every note and knows exactly how he hears it." Despite this admiration, Schiff had not recorded any of Kurtág's music until now. With this release, he pays tribute to Kurtág on the occasion of his 100th birthday on 19 February 2026.