Fantasque

"... A magic floats above everything [encompassing the whole work]... " (Paris, 1877, Journal de Musique) The second album by Franziska Pietsch and her Spanish piano partner Josu de Solaun is dedicated to the multifaceted world of French violin sonatas. With their usual aplomb and artistic intensity, the duo explore emotional landscapes complementing those of their previous album. Moving on from the exuberant revelry, serious tragedy and brutal reality of the sonatas by Strauss and Shostakovich, the musicians are now roving between the poles of dream and reality. Real experiences and emotions are reflected in a visionary dream world, external reality is mirrored internally. Inner emotions and images become reality via the music, triggering new emotions: dream and reality mirror each other. Faure, Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc create this "mirror world" in diverse ways. The common theme is the fantastical, the magic of imagination, the poetic distance to reality and the intensive engagement with inner emotions. Thus the dream world becomes a retreat - for listeners and artists alike.