Stylistically, the four pieces in this program display enormous differences, which is what makes the sequence of works so appealing. Nevertheless, there is also a common thread. What the compositions have in common is that their creators each thought outside the box and found inspiration therein. Clara Schumann was a famous piano virtuoso and then the wife of a very gifted composer; she adopted many a gesture and tone from him - her Romances of 1853 bear witness to this. Richard Strauss, on the other hand, was on the verge of making a significant name for himself as a composer of expansive tone poems for orchestra with huge scores. When he completed his violin sonata in 1887, the ecstasy evoked by Don Juan in the symphonic poem of the same name was already haunting his mind—this, too, is unmistakable. Karol Szymanowski, on the other hand, was deeply inspired by the play of colors of Impressionism, particularly by the music of Claude Debussy, as the three "Myths" from 1915 bear eloquent witness. Maurice Ravel was also among the Impressionists; in his violin sonata, completed in 1937, however, he turned in a completely different direction—toward America and the blues. No creative mind works on its own; everyone needs inspiration, even if it comes from foreign gardens.

Concert Frolova/Stanev: From Foreign Gardens

Mozarteum Foundation

The pianist Vesselin Stanev, who is originally from Varna (Bulgaria), studied at the Music Academy in Sofia, with Dmitri Bashkirov at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, with Alexis Weissenberg and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. Further inspiration came from Peter Feuchtwanger in London. The Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the Concours Marguerite Long – Jacques Thibaud saw him as a prize-winner. He regularly performs in major concert halls in Europe, such as the Wigmore Hall in London, the Philharmonie Berlin, the Gewandhaus Leipzig or the Salle Gaveau in Paris. He also travels to the Nordic countries, to Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and Japan. He devotes particular attention to chamber music, for example with the violinist Ekaterina Frolova, the flautist Eva Oertle or the cellist Zoltán Despond. He has made numerous CD recordings for RCA, Sony Classical and the Bulgarian label Gega New.

Ekaterina Frolova

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 26, 2028

Ekaterina Frolova, violin & Vesselin Stanev, piano · The Stoller Hall

Past events

Nov 2, 2025

Concert Frolova/Stanev: From Foreign Gardens · Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violin in Violin Sonata No. 2 by Ravel

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Violin in Mythes by Szymanowski

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Violin in Violin Sonata by Strauss

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Violin in Three Romances by Schumann

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

About

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