Krystian Zimerman on 'Preludes & Co (and Friends) – Artist Selection'
//Summary - Level-B2//
Krystian Zimerman explains the idea behind his new programme, Preludes & Co – Artist Selection. He questions the tradition of performing “complete cycles”, arguing that this habit comes from the recording industry rather than from musical intention. Inspired by great pianists such as Richter and Kempff, he aims to develop a freer, more exploratory recital form. At seventy, he feels ready for new experiments, linking pieces from 300 years of music like “pearls on a string”. Influenced by a Tokyo exhibition, he hopes audiences will join him on a curious, unpredictable journey created together in the concert hall.
1)
Krystian Zimerman has sent us a statement explaining the concept behind his unique programme ‘Preludes & Co – Artist Selection’, his first venture of this kind. Zimmermann hopes that audiences will experience this once-in-a-lifetime programme together and make their own discoveries.
2)
Several composers, including Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin, wrote a series of preludes. I have performed some of these works and find it a curious sensation. This is because such series contain outstanding pieces alongside others that appear to be written merely to fill space.
3)
The obsession with “complete cycles” actually began with the advent of the recording industry. Pianists before that era constructed their programmes quite differently. For instance, examining Clara Schumann's 19th-century concert programmes reveals that she never performed a “complete cycle”.
4)
One pianist who strongly resisted this notion of “complete cycles” was Sviatoslav Richter. When I dined with him in Paris during the 1980s and asked why he programmed only three of Chopin's four Ballades, he grew irritable and declared:
'Why is the market obsessed with complete cycles? The Ballades are not a cycle. The same applies to the Scherzos. These are four separate works written over Chopin's lifetime and not intended as a cycle. Why must it be the complete set?"
5)
When I discussed this topic with Wilhelm Kempff in 1981, he shared the same view. ‘The recording industry has altered our programming habits and interpretative practices,’ he remarked. ‘For instance, Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit and several Beethoven sonatas sometimes required tempo adjustments to fit onto 78 rpm discs.’
6)
This season marks a significant milestone for me. Approaching a new decade at seventy has fostered a sense of humility, while perhaps granting me slightly more courage for experimental challenges than before. I have also become more curious.
7)
Recital programming is always meticulously crafted, evolving alongside the narrative it tells. Throughout my 53 seasons, I have placed great importance on how programmes are constructed and how flow is created.
8)
This year's programme, then, points towards a new direction for me. It is an endeavour that took twenty years to find the courage to undertake, and one greatly inspired by conversations and discussions with Sviatoslav Richter, Arthur Rubinstein, Wilhelm Kempff, Claudio Arrau, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and Emil Gilels.
9)
I have studied over 1,000 pieces to date and performed more than 500 in public. Among these were over 100 works that, while excellent individually, proved challenging to integrate into recital programmes.
10)
I wish to refer to this group of works as “Preludes & Co.”
11)
I am currently contemplating a new endeavour inspired by Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. This involves stringing together works like a string of pearls across the approximately 300 years of music history from Bach to the present day. It need not necessarily cover every key nor follow a strict sequence. For this concert, I have prepared 63 pieces.
12)
Another significant influence on the conception of this “Prelude & Co” project was an exhibition I visited in Tokyo this summer. There was no map or prior information; one had to explore on foot.
Some rooms were only discoverable on a second visit, which greatly surprised me. This experience felt remarkably close to what I was aiming for.
13)
When considering how to realise this within a concert hall setting, I pondered, ‘How might I further stimulate the audience's curiosity?’ I want the audience to feel as if they are embarking on a journey through an unknown programme alongside me. The destination of that journey may not be entirely clear even to me.
14)
I hold the Japanese people's exceptionally high aesthetic sensibility in the highest respect. Moreover, performance and interpretation cannot exist without an audience. I sincerely hope to share this new step with you, the audience, and to create it together.
Krystian Zimerman
Krystian Zimerman on 'Preludes & Co (and Friends) – Artist Selection'
https://www.japanarts.co.jp/news/p9534/
Add info No1)
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D. 899 (Op. 90) : No. 1 in C Minor. Allegro molto moderato
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp1G3qUY5X8&list=RDhp1G3qUY5X8&start_radio=1
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D. 899 (Op. 90) : No. 2 in E-Flat Major. Allegro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0meyGAtLwI&list=RDX0meyGAtLwI&start_radio=1
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D. 899 (Op. 90) : No. 3 in G-Flat Major. Andante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMi9AHqKWWs&list=RDdMi9AHqKWWs&start_radio=1
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D. 899 (Op. 90) : No. 4 in A-Flat Major. Allegretto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbtzTNgJXNE&list=RDUKbk34p9DoY&index=3
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D. 935 (Op. 142) : No. 1 in F Minor. Allegro moderato
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKbk34p9DoY&list=RDUKbk34p9DoY&start_radio=1
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D. 935 (Op. 142) : No. 2 in A-Flat Major. Allegretto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIcxYwB-KR8
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D. 935 (Op. 142) : No. 3 in B-Flat Major. Andante with Variations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt_U_DHy1fQ
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D. 935 (Op. 142) : No. 4 in F Minor. Allegro scherzando
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYtULLDLiD4&list=RDUKbk34p9DoY&index=19
Krystian Zimerman - Recital In Tokyo, Japan - 2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ow59gB1WvY&t=3464s
Add info No2)
Schubert 4 Impromptus D.935 Wilhelm Kempff Schubert 4 Impromptus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAr6rfRL1Ss
Schubert: Four Impromptu Pieces D899 Ashkenazy 1996
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFrmeyvcKpA&list=RDDFrmeyvcKpA&start_radio=1
Nobuyuki Tsujii plays 2 great impromptus, June 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5090u0OX8pc&list=RD5090u0OX8pc&start_radio=1
Schubert Impromptus D899 No.2 & 3 - András Schiff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upM0kHs7-iQ&list=RD5090u0OX8pc&index=2
András Schiff - Schubert - Four Impromptus, D 935
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roDAmtGwQOo&t=19s
Add info No3)
The wonderful world of Schubert! 4 beautiful masterpieces that will bring tears to your eyes! Why is Schubert's beauty so extraordinary?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie7OJWrH-GQ
[Explanation of a masterpiece] Schubert: Impromptu, Op. 90! One of the greatest masterpieces of piano music is here! The beautiful world seen by Schubert during his illness!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG6GdPrFatI
[Program Announced!] Krystian Zimerman Piano Recital 2025
https://www.japanarts.co.jp/news/p9519/
[First Half] Krystian Zimerman Concert Review 2025/12/3 at Suntory Hall
https://note.com/cozy_crocus5285/n/na19ca49da271
[2025.11.29] Krystian Zimerman (Zimerman) Performance Review @ Tokorozawa Civic Cultural Centre Muse Arc Hall
https://iriko-kombu-blog.com/11-29-2025_krystianzimerman/
