“Every piece on this recording has a life of its own, a soul, and a personality.

To me, Beethoven’s music is life-changing and miraculous; through his music, I find hope and inspiration. In the Piano Sonata Op. 10 No. 3 — with its beauty, innocence, drama, and intensity — he explores every human emotion. This sonata is a very enigmatic piece that fills me with joy. Subtleties and complexities abound, yet it remains very elegant and concise.

The Rachmaninoff Moment Musicaux is a mournful, reflective work with a melody that resembles a decadent song. It is idyllic, passionate music that transports me to a beautiful place that feels like old-world glamour.

In White Lies for Lomax, Mason Bates dreams up a subtly bluesy homage to ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, the man who explored (and recorded) “the soul of the land” in the American South.

I commissioned a solo work from Dan Visconti, a wonderful American composer. The result, Amplified Soul, reflects on the evolution of melody and the way resonance can “amplify” a musician’s soul.

Szymanowski’s Variations in B-Flat Minor Op. 3 is a set of romantic, brilliant, and colorful variations; it is remarkably inventive and expressive, exuding a sense of freshness.

Words are not my strength; I have always expressed myself best through music. Being an integral part of my life, music colors my every feeling, thought, and desire. Inspired by the then-upcoming birth of my daughter, I recorded these pieces because I love them and because I want to share the magic that they embody. They have all been part of the constant soundtrack of my life, and have indeed amplified my soul. ”