Ludwig van Beethoven, Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix Reuter

Elises Traum

In "Elises Traum" (Elise's Dream) Reuter organically combines two world-famous melodies in modern form and motif: Ludwig van Beethoven's "Für Elise" (Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor, WoO 59) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" (op. 20, Act 1). In addition, a small excerpt of the well-known "Wedding March" by Mendelssohn-Bartholdy appears in between in this mix. Reuter's own musical signature and his soulful transcriptions bring the two masterpieces into imaginative and moving dialogue with each other. As in Beethoven's original composition, Felix Reuter opens with the famous signature melody in pianissimo. But already after a few runs it is transferred into the mysterious world of "Swan Lake". Playfully, sometimes in shorter, sometimes in more extended phrases, echoes from both original works intertwine and nestle together as if in dance. "Elise's Dream," with its quietly melancholy character and flowing, dynamic tension, invites the listener to dream and be inspired. Reuter transposes the 3/8 rhythm of "Elise" into a free 4/8 metric, and from the interplay of even and odd rhythms arises a metric accent shift that still calls for a voyage of discovery even after repeated playing. This arrangement elicits new presence from the original motifs, gives the work its intimate, moving expression, and also leaves room for improvisation, imagination, and emotion at the piano.