Schubert’s Impromptus have become a staple of the piano repertoire, praised for their lyrical beauty, complex structure, and expressive depth. They are emblematic of Schubert's mature style, characterized by a combination of directness and intimacy of expression, poetic sensitivity, and structural control and grandeur. They also contributed to the evolution of the genre of the short piano piece, influencing later Romantic composers.

What do all the pieces on Eric Lu’s program have in common? Like the young man at the keyboard, the composers of these great works were (relatively) young people: Although Bach lived to the ripe old age of 65, he was only 17 when he composed his soulful Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother, BWV 992. Schubert composed his famous Impromptus at age 30; Mendelssohn wrote his 48 “Songs without words” at various times during his life – but he died well before his 40th birthday, as did the poetic genius Chopin. An “old soul”, the internet will tell you, is “someone who resonates deeply with the past and has a strong sense of wisdom beyond his years. One who feels displaced from mainstream society. One who values and recognizes the depth of even the littlest of things.” Does this also describe the composers listed above? To a T! Does it beg for a deeper discussion of music as a timeless, age-defying power? Most definitely!

Now having had the opportunity to delve deeply into the marvelous Ms. Cann’s own journey with today’s music, and having learned that she, too – a multi-award-winning virtuoso trained at the finest conservatories on the continent – only discovered this music in 2016 (!), I am feeling confident that admitting the gaps in my education, and sharing what I’ve learned along the way, is the best possible route to bringing you, our audience, to the same incredible feeling of serendipity that I’ve had the joy of experiencing.

In today’s program, we are invited to explore the diverse ways in which the ordinary is made extraordinary by three distinctly different, yet similarly virtuoso composers. From 1820s Vienna to pre-Revolution Russia: Listen how pianistic fireworks transform the mundane into magic.