Meet Tom Borrow. At only age 24, this protégé of Murray Perahia was named by Gramophone as "the very definition of one to watch." This program begins with arrangements of short works by Bach, Schubert by other composers, and culminates with one of the cornerstones of the Romantic piano repertoire. In a letter to Clara Weick, who went on to become his wife, Schumann called his Fantasy in C major "perhaps the most impassioned music I have ever written." Clara's father opposed their marriage, and an enforced separation caused Schumann the great anguish which is reflected in the first movement. The piece is both grand and intimate, with moments of deep lyricism and dramatic contrasts. Schumann ended up dedicating it to Franz Liszt, one of the few pianists who could meet its technical and physical demands.

Hear a rising piano star in one of the most challenging and rewarding pieces in the entire keyboard repertoire!