The piano evening of Lev Chefanov will unite masterpieces of academic music - from the elegant pages of Mozart and the poetic Chopin to the bold, sparkling Prokofiev. Balakirev's "Islamey" will add sharpness, drive, and a sense of musical challenge to the program. Each piece sounds like a separate story, where the past and the contemporary listener coexist. Meeting with pianist Lev Chefanov will remind how the live sound of the piano differs from recordings in headphones. When the lights in the hall go out and the first chords are born right in front of the listeners, familiar works acquire a different scale and inner tension. In the first part of the program, compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Frédéric Chopin will be performed. Mozart's music is constructed with utmost clarity: light and order are audible, behind which lies fragility and demand. Chopin addresses personal experiences, turning each phrase into a confession, and the transition from one author to another shows the path of European tradition from restrained form to inner monologue. Sergei Prokofiev will add rhythmic sharpness and the character of the twentieth century to the program. His pages require concentration and a precise sense of measure: it is easy to slip into cold virtuosity, forgetting about nuances. Lev Chefanov builds the parts so that both the dense rhythmic pattern and the subtle dynamic transitions are heard, with harsh accents coexisting with phrases spoken almost in a whisper. A separate chapter of the evening is related to Balakirev's "Islamey." In the nineteenth century, this composition was called the most difficult piano work in the world, and today it remains a serious challenge. The swift passages, leaps, contrasts of registers and moods require impeccable technique and clear dramaturgy; Chefanov shows that behind the text stand living images and Caucasian intonations that inspired the composer. The pianist also shares with the audience short stories about the composers and their fates. Such comments help to hear new meanings in familiar pieces and connect academic music with life.