Drama and Fate

Works by 

Franz Schubert and Sergei S. Prokofiev

Featuring

Han Ni piano

Programme

Sergei S. Prokofiev (1891-1953）
Romeo and Juliet op. 75
I. Folk Dance
II. Scene
III. Minuet
IV. The Young Maiden Julia
V. Masks
VI. Montagues und Capulets
VII. Father Lorenzo
VIII. Mercutio
IX. Dance of the Maidens from the Antilles
X. Romeo with Juliet before parting 

Franz Schubert (1797-1828）
Drei Klavierstücke Three Piano Pieces D. 946
No. 1 in E flat minor 
No. 2 in E flat major
No. 3 in C Major

about the programme

Romeo and Juliet is a 16th-century play by William Shakespeare, which was adapted into a ballet by Soviet artists in the first half of the 20th century. Sergei Prokofiev began composing the music for Romeo and Juliet in 1935, resulting in the orchestral version for the ballet. Later, the composer condensed the work and arranged it into a piano suite.
This piano suite comprises ten movements. It features a selection of representative melodies and passages from the ballet music, with each movement named after sections of the plot or characters from the play.

The cycle "Three Piano Pieces", D. 946, was composed in May 1828, just six months before Franz Schubert’s death. It was not until 40 years after his death, in 1868, that it was anonymously edited and published by Johannes Brahms, which is why it is often referred to as the three posthumous impromptus.
It explores profound themes such as the transience of life, solitary introspection, the complexity of emotions and the power of art. Listening to D. 946 feels like listening to a soul casting one last, heartfelt and multifaceted glance back at the world before the end of its existence.

about the soloist

Han Ni was born in China. In 2013, she was admitted to the secondary school of Nanjing University of the Arts, having achieved first place in her entrance exams. In 2016, she was admitted to Nanjing University of the Arts. During her time at university, she achieved the highest marks in her class. Since 2018, she has been studying for a Bachelor’s degree at the Karlsruhe University of Music in the class of Daniela Willimek. Since 2022, she has been studying for a Master’s degree at the Karlsruhe University of Music in Professor Roberto Domingos’s class. Since 2025, she has been studying for her soloist examination at the Karlsruhe University of Music in Professor Roberto Domingos’s class.
In June 2025, she won third prize at the Büttner Piano Competition.