Hypnos

Description

Remember: Hypnos, the god of sleep in Greek mythology, is also the twin brother of Thanatos and the father of Morphée. In the land of dreams, at the edge of sleep and until the breath on the graves, Hypnos watches over. He soothes the mortal and guides them to the end of their path. This is the theme of the new journey by pianist Fanny Azzuro. This dive into the romantic night, which gradually absorbs all light, is met with writings tinged with hope. The nocturnes that make up the second part of this double album evoke a dream on the path of resignation, perhaps, of reconciliation, surely. The premonition of death, mourning, and its funeral procession permeate the first part of this double album. 19th-century composers explored, thanks to the modern piano, new realms of the night. A heroic and comforting night in the writing of the last BRAHMS, very different in CHOPIN, whose so-called "Funeral" Sonata is conceived as a drama in four acts. Who are we burying? The composer or Poland, which he left in 1830? Phantasmagoric and macabre visions run through the Sonata. It foreshadows what music will be half a century later. Violence reaches its peak with SCHUMANN's Nachtstücke. Nightmarish visions, rage, and battles to be fought… No hope in these pages of absolute darkness! The performer places in mirror the nocturnes of CHOPIN and SCRIABINE. The former evoke the universe of bel canto, the art of Italian singing, with a nonchalant grace. In contrast, SCRIABINE's Nocturnes op. 5 seem to spring from an improvisation that enchants the evening air. As for the Prelude and Nocturne for the left hand by the Russian composer, it demands that the performer creates the illusion of two hands without breaking a feeling of delightful abandon. Fanny Azzuro offers us here a rarer repertoire, starting with three of the six Soirées musicales op. 6 by CLARA SCHUMANN. The romantic salon, the art of confession dominate these pieces that pay tribute to CHOPIN and, of course, to ROBERT SCHUMANN. The Notturno by Norwegian EDVARD GRIEG then takes us from romanticism to impressionism. In this excerpt from the Lyric Pieces, the melody with its enchanting charm becomes a delicate palpitation. Finally, the pianist closes her recital with the Notturno by OTTORINO RESPIGHI. This youthful work by the Italian composer feels like the rustling of the wind in the cypress trees of a hill in Umbria. Fanny Azzuro piano