Project
A piano concerto meets a work of the twenty-first century.
Recorded on 16 and 17 September 2025 at Fairfield Halls in Croydon
This recording brings together Frédéric Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto and Kevin Puts’ “Night”, two works from very different musical worlds. Almost two centuries separate Chopin’s Romantic piano concerto from the contemporary composition by the American Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Puts. Both place the piano centre stage and combine great expressive power with a distinctly lyrical musical language. Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, was composed in 1829–30 and is one of the composer’s first major works. Kevin Puts composed “Night” in 2008. The concerto moves between dramatic tension and calm, almost otherworldly moments: the composer himself describes “night” as an alternative world to the unrest and conflicts of the day. For this recording, Greek pianist Vassilis Varvaresos joins the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Dionysis Grammenos. It was recorded in London on 16 and 17 September 2025 and produced by Anna Barry. One special feature of the production is Kevin Puts’ “Night”: announced as the world-premiere recording of the piano concerto, it has deliberately been paired with Chopin’s frequently recorded repertoire work. The result is a connection between the Romantic tradition and contemporary orchestral music, with Vassilis Varvaresos at the musical heart of both works.
