Pires's Parisian evening begins with Schubert's Impromptu Op. 142, No. 3, known as "Rosamunde" as it takes up a theme from the composer's incidental music for Helmina von Chézy's play of that name. Next, the virtuoso interprets Debussy's Arabesque No. 1, one of the French master's most widely known pieces: poetry in music, lilting and delicate and full of Debussy's characteristic shifting tonalities. Pires moves on to Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 13, serene and exquisite, before closing the recital with Debussy's Suite bergamasque—including Clair de lune, the best known of the four miniature masterpieces.

Photo: Maria João Pires © Felix Broede