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Sir András Schiff Awes at the 74th Edition of the Santander International Festival – 8th August 2025

Setting the Stage

An expectant and curious audience gathered at the Palacio de Festivales in Santander on the 8th of August 2025, eager to listen to one of the greatest pianists of our time, Sir András Schiff.

Born in Budapest, his career began at the Franz Liszt Academy, studying with Pál Kadosa, György Kurtag, and Ferenc Rados. He has collaborated with orchestras and conductors around the globe. His book Musik kommt aus der Stille was published in 2017, and today he continues his pedagogical mission with his project Building Bridges.

A Magical Night Begins

“The chef knows better than anyone what is in the kitchen and what is fresh, the catch of the day. I am no beginner and the audience knows me. The quality of the interpretations may be discussed, but not the quality of the music.” – Sir András Schiff.

As we sat in a sold-out concert, we all knew under the full moon slowly rising above the bay that a magical night awaited. Schiff opened with Bach’s famous Aria from the Goldberg Variations, an appetiser that immediately hooked the audience to the splendid menu about to be served.

He delighted us with a more intimate and pedagogical approach to concert etiquette by announcing every piece before its performance, how many movements, and how these were going to be played, stopping in between or not. The lack of a printed programme, save for the Festival booklet summarising his artistic life, made the experience even more immersive and exciting. All eyes and ears were on him.

Every Note Counts

Every note counts. Every sound finds its space and time. There were no fireworks, no unnecessary body movements. Whenever Schiff moved, it meant something big was happening. If his expression changed, we were drawn to it as if wanting to scrutinise what lay behind.

He began playing Mozart’s Sonata no. 17 in B-flat major, KV 570, the keys elevating with ethereal prowess, light and meaningful. The second movement was chanted with exquisite phrasing under a banner of beauty and grace few have come to master. With Schiff, you know where you come from and where you are going. And yet, the journey is always a revelation.

The treat of the night was Bach, with all the complexity of the voices intertwined in perfect equilibrium. Schiff proves how structure and phrasing intonate the modulations of a voice telling a story. A narrative from beginning to end, we were mesmerised by Schiff’s prodigious power to magnetise all ears to the music. The importance of form took another level with his playing.

The Lesson of Silence

Less is more. The control of sentiments is always a difficult lesson for any pianist.

As pianists, we are told that the end of a piece, with its impregnated silence, must be carefully attended to. The silence that rises after intense playing summarises our state of emotions. It has been a long time since I could feel the audience holding its breath, a long time since the room was filled with that indescribable collective harmony.

With Schiff, unity exists. He let the music sink and fade, or end with restrained passion, which in fact always enhances vehemence. That night Schiff taught us about the marvel of a naked echoing note, the ample resonance of a subtle forearm movement. His torso anchored like a robust grove extending its branches to each fibre of our souls.

A Journey Through Masters

With bated breath, we heard Bach’s Concerto Italiano, BWV 971. Again, the mastery of each note, of each voice that rose and lovingly knitted with the next, of a complete awareness of Bach’s divine architecture, made this concert an act of pure love. Schiff was not merely playing the piano, he was inviting us into his private world of sensory commitment, a cosmos filled with acoustic rapture no article could faithfully reproduce.

Schiff followed with Haydn’s Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6, a beautiful work showcasing Haydn’s most characteristic traits: surprise, agility, and emotion.

Bach Meets Beethoven

For the last part of the concert, Schiff decided to play Bach and Beethoven without interruptions. The final notes of Bach opened Beethoven’s Sonata no. 17, Op. 31 in D minor (Tempest), a fluent transition that did more than just connect two aesthetically similar pieces, but bridged two giants with historical purpose.

Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata was performed slower than many of today’s interpretations, but for a good reason: depth and singing prevailed over blurriness. As a master of Bach, Schiff’s Beethoven gives special attention to the left-hand voices. His understanding of texture is no cover-up makeup, but an orchestra that magnifies the singing. The tempo was supple yet constant, the octaves of the second movement a thrilling barrier that kept the lightning and thunder of the first movement at bay. The last movement was yet another display of Schiff’s control over the instrument.

A Lasting Impression

Bach, deemed by Schiff as “the greatest composer that ever lived”, was the origin and motor which drove the concert forward. With ease and fluency, we were led through the wonders of classical music, from Bach, to Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. Schiff closed with three encores by Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Schubert.

Contrast, sovereignty, control. In a world consumed by fast-paced newsfeeds, likes, and hashtags, Sir András Schiff teaches us the value of silence and patience, and most importantly, how one presence can enlighten the spirit and make us want to be better, kinder.

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