Piotr Anderszewski by Szymanowski, Bach, J. S., Webern, A., Beethoven, Minn (2023/2023), Barbican Centre, London, United Kingdom

From Bach to Bartók, pianist Piotr Anderszewski finds fascinating connections between composers whose visionary ideas would change keyboard music forever. The peerless music of J S Bach bookends this concert, starting with the Overture in the French Style – not just an overture but a whole suite of dances. Anderszewski is renowned for his interpretations of Bach, and brings that special affinity to pieces which, unusually for the time, boast dramatic dynamic contrasts. This is music that reveals Bach’s awe-inspiring ability to weave whole worlds of sound from the simplest ideas. Bartók’s pioneering Bagatelles laid down a blueprint for the composer’s style: radical harmonies and clean lines jostle with Hungarian and Slovak influences, with revolutionary results, prompting Busoni to declare: ‘at last, something truly new’. Szymanowski, from Anderszewski’s homeland of Poland was another true original, and his mazurkas marry mind-bending rhythmic patterns with folk-like melodies.