Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 - Liszt: Dante Sonata & 3 Petrarch Sonnets

A finalist in the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition, Japanese pianist Aimi Kobayashi shows her evident sympathy for the music of the Polish composer here. His Second Piano Sonata, complete with its Funeral March finale, is played with winning poetry in a fine performance that’s alive to the vividly contrasted moments of light and shade. The more demonstrative music of Liszt, too, finds Kobayashi an imaginative interpreter. She tackles the Dante Sonata with energy, and tunes into the contemplative mood of the three Petrarch Sonnets with creativity and personality.