Margherita Santi: Fantasies as an Art of Expression
by Guido Krawinkel (July 22, 2025)
The new CD by Margherita Santi impresses with virtuosity and a refined dramatic sensibility.
Boundaries broken
A fantasy piece is always at least somewhat improvisational—after all, “fantasizing” and playing in the moment birthed this genre. Free paraphrasing opens space and allows freedom.
Breaking limits
Composers have long used this: Ludwig van Beethoven, for instance, who loved to break genre boundaries, or Frédéric Chopin, who developed the fantasy into a highly individual art form inspired by romantic character pieces.
Santi sets herself free
The Italian pianist Margherita Santi takes an individual approach. Her new CD, aptly titled Fantasies, features works by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Schumann. Pianistically, this program offers abundant freedom, which Santi fully exploits. In Beethoven’s “Sonata Quasi una Fantasia,” she applies interesting agogic accentuation that emphasizes the music’s individual character—even if it occasionally slows the passage. She gives the improvisational character time and highlights its individuality.
Between drive and delicacy
The line between individuality and mannerism can blur at times. Yet Mozart’s D-minor Fantasy maintains both expressive balance and drive. Similarly, Chopin and Schumann’s fantasies are delivered with grand gestures and technical mastery. She favors long dramatic arcs, so even Chopin’s expansive F-minor Fantasy and Schumann’s finely detailed “Faschingsschwank” sound cohesive. Santi opts for a refined, finely balanced pianistic approach—she’s not one for empty emotional storms. That said, she doesn’t shy away from drama when needed, as in the Chopin or the finale of the Schumann.
What makes the CD worth listening to
- Fantasies by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Schumann, interpreted with personalized nuance
- Pianistic balance between improvisational freedom and clear dramaturgy
- Technically confident, tension-rich, stylistically nuanced
Margherita Santi 