Following a welcome address by Mr He, Deputy Director of the Chinese Cultural Centre, Prof. Errico Fresis gave an introductory talk on Hugo Wolf (1860–1903), his body of work, his severe mental health crises and his early death at the age of 42. Alongside Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms, he ranks among the most significant art-song composers of the 19th century and brought the German art song to its final great flowering.

Hugo Wolf is regarded as an almost forgotten composer who wrote 46 songs for piano and voice in the *Italienisches Liederbuch*. In these works, the piano takes centre stage, with the voices serving more as accompaniment. The songs deal with deep emotions, humour, tenderness, irony and heartbreak. What is remarkable is the extraordinary interplay between piano and voice as equal partners. The performers were Irina Loskova (piano), Xiao Chi (soprano) and Xu Fan (bass-baritone). An enchanting evening offering an unusual concert experience.