Roman Borisov

Fit into a box? Or think outside it? Here is a mix of composers who conformed to the norm, versus those who broke away from the status quo. It was no secret that Nikolai Medtner, who idolised Ludwig van Beethoven, favoured tradition and formality. Ironic then that his hero was something of a visionary; Beethoven’s «Pathétique» Sonata was emotionally charged like nothing before. Improvisation and experimentation abound in Franz Schubert’s beloved Impromptus and the atmospheric Préludes by impressionist Claude Debussy.