The UC Santa Barbara Department of Music invites the community to enjoy an evening with Paul Berkowitz, Faculty Recital: Robert Schumann — Fantasy Pieces and other stories, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 17, at the Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall.

The concert is free to attend.

Berkowitz picks up where he left off after his performances of Robert Schumann’s “Humoreske” in 2024 and “Fantasie” in 2025 (soon to be released together as a CD and streaming album for Meridian Records).

Opening with a group of five early evocative short pieces from “Bunte Blätter” (“Colored Leaves”), op. 99, Berkowitz follows with one of Schumann’s most beloved collections, the eight “Fantasiestücke,” op. 12, displaying Schumann’s dual personalities — the dreamy poet and exuberant extrovert.

Berkowitz will then perform the hardly known late second set of three, op. 111, reflecting Schumann’s soul at its most troubled in music of astonishing imagination.

The recital concludes with the warm and tender “Waldszenen” (“Forest Scenes”), op. 82, a virtual song cycle for solo piano, epitomizing the Romantic approach to nature.

Berkowitz has recorded the complete piano sonatas and other major works of Schubert for Meridian Records, to worldwide acclaim. His recording of Schumann’s “Kreisleriana” was selected by BBC Radio Record Review as the best of all available recordings.

He also released a series of three CD recordings of Brahms Piano Music.