Tristan Pfaff KAROL BEFFA Douze Études

Composer and pianist, Karol Beffa is also a musicologist. Passionate about György Ligeti’s work, he published an impressive monograph of the Hungarian composer in 2016. As early as 1998, he had already chosen Ligeti’s Etudes as the subject of his PhD dissertation. It is probably no coincidence that among Beffa’s early compositions there should have been several Etudes for piano, about which he has written: "Even though they were not strictly speaking 'Ligetian' etudes, like those of Ligeti, they too showed the intention to focus on a compositional problem to be dealt with in all its aspects, like a nucleus that radiates throughout the entire piece".

Tristan Pfaff PIANO ENCORES

The encore, an end-of-concert ritual, is always highly appreciated by the audience. In a way, through them the listener gets to know the artist a little better, as encore choices reveal taste and personality. Thus, pianist Tristan Pfaff interprets above all pieces he loves: from the Baroque era of Bach to music of the 20th century by Prokofiev and Kabalevsky, a very broad musical horizon is proposed. Popular song is also present with Gershwin's 'The man I love', in its piano version.

Here, after two discs – one devoted to Liszt, the other to Schubert, Pfaff follows one of Schumann's numerous bits of advice inscribed on the score of his 'Album für die Jugend': 'Nothing great can be achieved in art without enthusiasm'. With this disc, recorded in very few takes, Tristan Pfaff, whose greatest pleasure is to play onstage, gives us a succession of encores… beloved works offered as gifts to the audience. (Presto Classical)