Viktor Valkov in Recital: Shadows and Fantasies

Pianist Viktor Valkov crafts a compelling journey through psychological landscapes, whimsical nature studies, and musical labyrinths—uniting four composers whose works evoke the mysterious, the fantastical, and the inner life of sound.

J.S. Bach – Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903
The recital opens with one of Bach’s most dramatic and free-spirited works. The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue unfolds like an improvisation from the depths—restless, bold, and virtuosic—culminating in a rigorous fugue of architectural grandeur.

Robert Schumann – Kreisleriana, Op. 16
Schumann’s emotional masterpiece delves into the psyche of the artist. Inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fictional, mercurial musician Johannes Kreisler, Kreisleriana is by turns turbulent and tender, revealing Schumann’s split persona and Romantic intensity.

Rued Langgaard – Insectarium
This witty suite by Danish eccentric Rued Langgaard offers a microcosmic world of six-legged characters. Each miniature movement captures the kinetic energy, curiosity, and absurd charm of insects—rendered with vivid rhythm and playful detail.

Rudolf George Escher – Arcana Suite
Escher’s Arcana Suite closes the program with a more abstract exploration. Influenced by symbolism, dream states, and the philosophical idea of time, this suite weaves elusive harmonies and shimmering textures. It’s music of shadows and suggestion—a quiet, intellectual counterpart to the recital’s earlier dramas.

Viktor Valkov’s program is both tightly constructed and richly imaginative, bridging eras and aesthetics. From Bach’s bold introspection to Escher’s meditative modernism, it’s a recital that invites the listener into secret inner worlds—arcane, delicate, and deeply expressive.