?This album of works by Debussy, Prokofiev and Barber aims to show not only the fascination of the increasing complexity of musical language in the 20th century but also the desire to preserve the ideas and achievements of previous musical epochs. The expansion of tonality and the search for new rhythmic and acoustic solutions in the first book of Debussys Préludes are followed by Prokofievs Visions fugitives, perhaps his only work that was clearly influenced by Impressionism. Some pieces from Visions fugitives could seem to be part of Debussys cycle, although Prokofievs famous Feroce offers electrifying rhythms and sharp dissonances. I have chosen Barbers Piano Sonata as my final work. This unique masterpiece literally sprouted from the soil of 20th century musical discoveries but still retained Baroque and Classical structures. The stunning fugue that concludes the sonata sounds like a manifesto: no matter how far the creative process takes us, there is always something constant to which we will always return. (Konstantin Emelyanov)