Greek-Russian pianist Sasha Stychkina, born in Moscow in 2003 into a family of musicians and filmmakers, is the youngest finalist and winner in the history of the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition held in Paris in November 2019. She now presents her debut recital, recorded at Teldex Studio in Berlin under the artistic direction of her teacher, the charismatic and renowned pianist Kirill Gerstein. The distinctly eclectic program – Weber, Bartók, Ravel, Chopin, Liszt – alternates between virtuosic, dance-like, and spiritual moments. Sasha Stychkina also introduces us to a little-known composer: Alexei Vladimirovich Stanchinsky (1888-1914), a mystical figure who was considered mentally ill – he spent a year in a psychiatric institution – and drowned at the age of 26. As a student of Taneev, encouraged by Scriabin and introduced to Tolstoy, the composer had a promising future ahead of him. The Five Preludes (1907-1912, published posthumously in 1928) selected by Sasha Stychkina are particularly evocative and visionary.