Elisabeth Leonskaja | piano

This grande dame of the keyboard was Sviatoslav Richter’s musical partner and he acknowledged her as his alter ego due to the intensity of her playing and her in-depth knowledge of the piano repertoire which she has transmitted to unanimous acclaim. After two extraordinary evenings with Schubert prior to lockdown and the closure of concert halls, she is back in fine company with the Streichquartett der Staaskapelle Berlin, for a Schumann-Shostakovich duo. Two further opportunities after the concerts conducted by the Konzertmeister der Berliner Philharmoniker to hear quintets for strings and piano, quite an unusual combination which is being showcased this season on avenue Montaigne. Opus 44 by Schumann combines the rigour of the quartet style with the fantasy and concertante freedom of piano writing over which the happy shadow of Clara hovers. Opus 57 by Shostakovich has its roots in the Beethoven Quartet and has been one of the composer’s most popular chamber music pieces since it was premiered in 1940.

Coréalisation Piano**** / Théâtre des Champs-Elysées