The elderly Brahms reflected somberly on the future of music during a walk with the young Mahler. The perspective of drifting tonality saddened him greatly. Was this negativity justified? In the two decades before World War I, traditional harmony was maintained in works by Professor Vasily Safonov's Russian students.

Rachmanov, Medtner and initially also Scriabin continued to build on tonality. The three skazki (fairy tales) by Medtner, which Anastasia Safonova interprets in a poetic way, testify to the steadfastness of the romantic heritage. Scriabin later sought a connection between the spiritual and the material worlds, thereby leaving the beaten track. At the same time, Debussy and Ravel discovered new tonal systems. The pianist brings a programme that goes in depth. It's not just any recital!

This concert is part of the series de Zondagklassiekers.