Uncertainty shapes life and appears as the only constant, even if death and taxes are generally considered certain. In contrast to today's Western perceptions, the way death was dealt with in earlier eras was fundamentally different. In the Middle Ages, for example, texts like the Ars moriendi offered detailed instructions for a dignified farewell and served as guides to dying properly. Preparing for the afterlife was a central theme at that time, one that strongly influenced everyday life. Even though lifespans have increased in the 21st century, the longing for immortality remains unfulfilled—a fact that prompts us to reflect on the deeper meaning of our existence.
Stephen Hough's fourth piano sonata, entitled "Vida breve," is dedicated to the transience of life. The piece was first presented at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in Michigan for Micah McLaurin. Hough often performs the work with a full score to do justice to its compositional nuances. Even composers like Liszt and Chopin navigated the tension between performer and creator. Busoni's arrangement of J.S. Bach's Chaconne further illuminates new expressive possibilities and complex musical structures.
Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, best known for its funeral march, combines somber and romantic elements, thus reflecting an inner ambivalence. The works of Hough and Chopin emphasize the close connection between life and death. Different musical perspectives on grief and mortality are evident, for example, in Liszt's "Funérailles" and Busoni's Chamber Fantasy on "Carmen." The album concludes with Hough's arrangements of "Arirang" and "Ave Maria," intended as encores that continue the themes of transience and peace.