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Programme notes (by Julian Jacobson) and pianist biographies

7.00 pm Konstantin Lapshin : Sonata in G major Op 14 no 2
Allegro — Andante — Scherzo: Allegro assai

The pair of exquisite sonatas Op.14 show how much Beethoven had relaxed and almost been assimilated into polite society by his late 20s: no longer the angry young man from Bonn, he shows himself capable of writing music of great elegance and a sort of shining goodness. Perhaps this is just the calm before the storm: within the next two years Beethoven had to come to terms with his inevitable deafness and had entered his heroic ‘middle period’ style, largely (though not completely) crowding out music of such grace and ‘domesticity’. It is hardly surprising that these sonatas have become such favourites with amateur pianists. They were dedicated to one of his patrons, the Baroness Josefa von Braun, whose husband was the court theatre director in Vienna. Both sonatas have just three movements. The second of the pair, in G major, is perhaps more ‘domestic’ in feeling. The first movement is in long lyrical lines almost throughout, though this does not preclude some more dramatic writing in the development section, with the left hand taking the theme. The humorous, yet also singing, second movement is a set of variations on a simple binary theme, first part staccato, second part legato. The ending seems to be petering out when Beethoven ends with a Haydnesque surprise (spoiler alert!). Beethoven’s finale is a Scherzo in name - his only work to end with a scherzo. Skittish and quick-witted, it shows a very different side of Beethoven from his normal image as heroic, tragic or profound. But, as Donald Francis Tovey insisted, Beethoven was a complete artist - one of the most complete who have ever lived

An impressive technique, and the impulsive, Romantic expression that has been a hallmark of so many Russian pianists, including Rachmaninov and Horowitz”- said 'Fanfare' magazine (USA) about Konstantin Lapshin, a multi award – winning Russian concert pianist who has in his collection more than 15 International and National prizes. Konstantin moved to London in 2007 to study at the Royal College of Music, where he won all the competitions and prizes available for pianists, including the most coveted Chappell Gold Medal and the College's highest prize The Queen Elizabeth Rose Bowl. He subsequently played for HRH The Prince of Wales. Since then, he has given performances at various concert halls across the Europe, Russia and America, including the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, Cadogan Hall, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the Salle Cortot in Paris, Piano Salon Christophori in Berlin, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire and others. In 2014 Konstantin was invited to play Rachmaninov's Concerto no.3 with Odessa Philharmonic and Grammy award-winning conductor and pianist Mikhail Pletnev In Odessa (Ukraine). Konstantin holds Doctoral degree and teaches at the Royal College of Music, giving masterclasses around the world and adjudicating International festivals and competitions.

7.25 pm Patrick Hemmerlé : Sonata in B flat major Op 22
Allegro con brio — Adagio con molto espressione — Menuetto— Rondo: Allegretto

On the cusp of the new century, the Op.22 sonata represented for Beethoven himself a kind of staging post: though we mere mortals may consider several of the earlier sonatas as masterpieces - and many of them enjoy greater popularity - Beethoven seems to have regarded it as the the first sonata in which he had achieved absolute mastery and a kind of ‘normality’ in his handling of symphonic sonata structure. In this sense we can regard it as a presage of the enormously confident, original and masterly sonatas of the ‘middle period’ such as the three Op.31, the Waldstein and Appassionata . The key of B flat generally drew from Beethoven a clear, bright sonority and a forthright utterance: one thinks also of the 2 nd Concerto and above all, of course, the Hammerklavier , Beethoven’s only other sonata in B flat. The material is attractive throughout if perhaps not especially distinctive: this, plus its lack of a title or nickname, has led to the sonata being less often played than many of its equals and near-contemporaries. The first movement, in a model textbook sonata form, contains a notable passage at the end of the development section, an exciting build-up on the dominant, anticipating the even greater similar moment in the Waldstein and the visionary one in the 4 th Symphony (where, however, the build-up is actually in the tonic key). The deeply felt Adagio movement, also in sonata form, has an astonishing anticipation of Wagner’s Tristan Prelude in its development section. The third and fourth movements both look back to the 18 th century and the classical era that Beethoven himself would develop to its ultimate conclusion before spearheading its dissolution in his late sonatas and quartets. The lively Minuetto, with its blustery minor-key Trio, is followed by a graceful Rondo finale which always reminds me of the sonatas of Carl Maria von Weber. Yet even here there is an intensely Beethovenian third section with some harsh dissonances that must have raised a few eyebrows in 1800.

Acclaimed for the originality of his concert programmes and the depth of his interpretations, Patrick Hemmerlé is a French pianist living in England. He can often be heard performing such works as the 24 Chopin Etudes, the 48 Bach Prelude and Fugues, or    lesser-known composers. Recent engagements have taken him to New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, and Prague, as well as many festivals and music society in England. Patrick has published 3 CDs, which have been well received by the international press. His latest recording project, to be issued in 2020 is a pairing of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier and Fischer's Ariadne Musica.  He is in demand as a lecturer. He has given talks for the Cambridge University, as well as a cycle of concert-lectures on French music, presenting composers little known to the general public,. This led to the recordings of the piano music of Jean Roger-Ducasse and Maurice Emmanuel.  Patrick is laureate of the international competition of Valencia, Toledo, Epinal, Grossetto, and more recently the CFRPM, in Paris, where his interpretation of Villa-Lobos's Rudepoema, raised a great deal of interest.  He was trained in Paris at the Conservatoire (CNR), under the tuition of Billy Eidi.

7.55 pm Amit Yahav : Sonata in A flat major Op 26 'Funeral March'
Andante con variazioni — Scherzo: Allegro molto — Maestoso andante. Marcia funebre — Allegro

After the large-scale, symphonic B flat sonata Op.22 of a year or so earlier, Beethoven seems to have felt the need to experiment with sonata form, writing a number of more open, freely structured works including the two famous Fantasy Sonatas Op. 27 before returning to more formally structured writing in the Op.31 sonatas (and Op.30 Violin Sonatas). Op.26 opens not with a sonata allegro but with a set of variations on a gentle, elegant, minuet-like theme, surely Beethoven’s nod to Mozart (thinking particularly of the similar theme and variations of the A major sonata). The theme is followed by five variations, the fourth being in the minor and the final fifth reminiscent of the fluent, somewhat discursive writing of Johann Baptist Cramer whose Etudes Beethoven much admired. All four movements are in the tonic A flat, though the merrily explosive Scherzo, placed second, opens as if in the dominant of E flat. The Funeral March slow movement has made the sonata famous and was played at the composer’s own funeral. Following this, the finale is a short, somewhat mystical moto perpetuo . Who knows, perhaps these last two movements influenced Chopin’s epic Second Sonata, similarly following a funeral march with a (truly mysterious in Chopin’s case) perpetual motion finale: at any rate we know he liked and taught this sonata, though he found a lot of Beethoven too rough for his tastes.

Multi-award-winning pianist Amit Yahav is much in demand as a recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist, having earned his reputation for interpretations that grip and move audiences with passion and intellectual insight. His interpretations of the music of Chopin and Schumann in particular have received high praise. In 2018, he earned a Doctor of Music degree from the Royal College of Music for his thesis investigating interpretation in the music of Chopin. Amongst Amit's success are the Anthony Lindsay Piano Prize and the György Solti Award for Professional Development. Amit also won the 1st International Israeli Music Competition in London and consequently performed Israeli composer Zvi Avni's On the Verge of Time in London's Southbank Centre in the presence of the composer. In 2014, Amit attracted much positive attention with his CD “Amit Yahav Plays Chopin“, containing the four Ballades. This release followed Amit's tour showcasing the four Ballades in an explained recital, which was also selected by the Royal College of Music as part of their Insight Series of soirees offered to their donors. Most recently, his newest disc featuring Romantic piano fantasies by Mendelssohn, Schumann and Chopin appeared on the GENUIN label.

8.20 pm Leslie Howard : Sonata in E flat Op 27 no 1
Andante. Allegro. Andante — Allegro molto e vivace — Adagio con espressione — Allegro vivace

With the two Op 27 sonatas, written on the cusp of the 19th century, the visionary Beethoven opens the way to the entire Romantic era in music. Their freer yet still disciplined forms and intensely personal expressive language prefigure the very best of Berlioz, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Wagner and the Russian Romantics. The opening movement of the “Moonlight” has become the most instantly and universally recognised piano piece ever written. With such an iconic companion-piece, it is perhaps no surprise that the first of the Fantasy-Sonatas has had to struggle for its due recognition, yet it is a fine work which no experienced Beethoven lover would wish to be without. Its four movements describe a particularly satisfying tonal progression from E flat to C minor to A flat and back to E flat, with Beethoven directing the pianist to join all the movements without a break: the third, slow movement in fact leads straight into the finale without a formal cadence. Within its four-movement structure there is further freedom and variety: the first movement opens pianissimo with a mysterious, murmuring theme which is interrupted out of the blue by a much faster, virtuosic passage in a new key (subtly hinted at by Beethoven in the Andante) and a different time signature. The 2nd movement, a scherzo by default though not so called by Beethoven, is an exciting whirlwind of arpeggios with an explosive, jazzy trio. The Adagio con espressione third movement has a serene beauty: its surprising brevity is explained by its repetition at the end of the fast, exhilarating finale, summing up this bountiful work with a feeling of organic inevitability. 

Leslie Howard has balanced his prodigious recording career (more than 150 CDs) with an international concert itinerary which has seen him performing regularly throughout the world for more than half a century. He is also a renowned scholar, teacher and mentor to many young musicians. 'The experience is beyond compare…his technique and taste are faultless, and his consistency, intelligence and brio create a towering monument to the music” - Diapason, France

8.40 pm Caterina Grewe : Sonata in C sharp minor Op 27 no 2 'Moonlight'
Adagio sostenuto — Allegretto — Presto

It is difficult to find anything to add to the countless descriptions of the famous 2nd Fantasy-Sonata, the “Moonlight”. Most music lovers will know that the title is not Beethoven's and in any case refers only to the first movement. That iconic first movement is in a discernible sonata form but the normal outlines are blurred into a free flow of poetic fantasy to which each listener responds in his or her own way.  In contrast with the first sonata, all three movements are in the tonic key. The minuet-like major key  Allegretto second movement is all grace and naivety, with a rougher, bucolic trio. The Presto agitato finale - Beethoven does not mince his words - offers a new level of sheer physical excitement in pianism, with repercussions stretching far into the future to movements like the Precipitato  finale of Prokofiev's 7th Sonata. To balance the freedom of the opening movement, Beethoven's finale is in clear and well defined sonata form. Its torrent of perpetual motion semiquavers is broken only by a kinetically charged third theme of staccato repeated chords and the recitativo passage near the end, where the music seems almost to exhaust itself before the final headlong onslaught.

German-Japanese pianist Caterina Grewe, born in Tokyo, has performed to great critical acclaim throughout the world. She has won numerous prizes at world-renowned piano competitions such as third prize at the Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona and the Dublin International Piano Competition where she was a finalist and prize winner in 2015. Other prizes include First Prize at the 2010 Lagny-Sur-Marne International Piano Competition in Paris, First Prize at the Norah Sande Award in Eastbourne in 2010, First Prize at the 2011 Mayenne International Piano Competition in France, and First Prize at the 2014 Rhodes International Piano Competition in Greece. She studied at the Hamburg Conservatory, at the Chetham's School of Music and completed her studies at the Royal College of Music in 2013 where she graduated with distinction. She is now a Piano Professor at the Royal College of Music and also teaches at the Purcell School and at St Paul's School.

9.05 pm Thomas Kelly : Sonata in D major Op 28 'Pastoral'
Allegro — Andante — Scherzo: Allegro vivace — Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo

The nickname is not original but it has always seemed appropriate for this relaxed, bucolic sonata - perhaps the final creation of Beethoven’s (sometimes) genial, good-humoured youth before the mental crisis of the following year catapulted him into the stern heroism of the middle period masterpieces. Beethoven loved nature and was not above spending whole nights in the open - once being arrested for vagrancy. The drone-like opening, with its 74 repeated Ds in the bass, conjures up the sound of the bagpipes. Above these, a gentle, subtle melody in irregular phrase lengths slowly flowers. A more perky theme leads to a wondrous, spring-like passage with running quavers and another perky closing theme, humorously syncopated. The development section, built on the last four bars of the opening theme, with much imitative writing and mainly in minor keys, gives the movement sufficient ballast for its place in a sonata. The second movement, though in D minor (with a delightful major key Trio), is scarcely less good-humoured than the first. It remained a favourite of the composer. The deft and witty Scherzo - Beethoven’s delight in observing young lambs gambolling? -has a Trio in which the same primitive, shepherd’s-pipe tune is put through four different harmonisations. The Rondo finale is a celebration of pastoral indolence - though, as in the first movement, Beethoven is too much of the strong-willed creator not to add to his mixture some more serious music in minor keys, and he winds up the whole sonata with a virtuosic whirlwind of a coda.

Thomas Kelly was born in 1998. He passed Grade 8 with Distinction in 2006 and performed Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 in Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre two years later. After moving to Cheshire, he regularly played in festivals, winning prizes including in the Birmingham Festival, 3rd prize in Young Pianist of The North 2012, and 1st prize in the 2014 Warrington Competition for Young Musicians. Since 2015, Thomas has studied with Andrew Ball, initially at the Purcell School for Young Musicians and now at Royal College of Music, where he is a third-year undergraduate. Thomas has won first prizes including Pianale International Piano Competition 2017, Kharkiv Assemblies 2018, Lucca Virtuoso e Bel Canto festival 2018, RCM Joan Chissell Schumann competition 2019, Kendall Taylor Beethoven Competition 2019 and BPSE Intercollegiate Beethoven Competition 2019. He has also performed in venues including the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Holy Trinity Sloane Square, St James' Piccadilly, Oxford Town Hall, St Mary's Perivale, St Paul's Bedford, Poole Lighthouse Arts Centre, Stoller Hall, Paris Conservatoire, the StreingreaberHaus in Bayreuth, the Teatro del Sale in Florence, in Vilnius and Palanga. Thomas' studies at RCM are generously supported by Pat Kendall-Taylor, Ms Daunt and Ms Stevenson and C. Bechstein pianos.

9.35 pm Petr Limonov : Sonata in G major Op 31 no 1
Allegro vivace — Adagio grazioso — Rondo: Allegretto. Presto

Even today this is probably Beethoven's least played piano sonata: past writers even used to suggest that it was a sort of ugly duckling among the 32. Yet the sonata is full of rewards for the attentive listener or player. The first movement makes much sport with a syncopated motif anticipating the main beat. It is full of an abrupt nervous energy typical of Beethoven's first middle-period works in which he wanted to cast off the last vestiges of 18 th century formality and strike out on new paths (as also for instance in the C minor Violin Sonata Op.30 No.2). Beethoven had come close to despair and suicide in his Heligenstadt Testament and was more than ever conscious of his destiny and obligation as a great composer. The second movement, perhaps the only instance in music of the odd direction Adagio grazioso , is an extended parody of an Italian operatic aria or duet, complete with thirds, sixths, trills and cadenzas. In the rich-textured coda Beethoven finally shows us the beating heart of the sonata. The Rondo finale, an amiable, unhurried movement, again culminates in a more positive and urgent coda, marked Presto , to end with the same spirit of supercharged nervous energy with which the sonata opened.

Petr Limonov was born in Moscow in 1984 and studied at the Central Music School. After winning the First prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein piano competition in Paris (1998) he started giving concerts in Europe, Russia and Japan. He subsequently studied at the Royal Academy of Music, in Paris and at the Royal College of Music. In 2012 he became the principal conductor of the London Soloists Philarmonia orchestra. He frequently appears in UK and Europe collaborating, among others, with Nicola Benedetti, Laura van der Heijden, Jennifer Pike, Van Kujik Quartet, Leonard Elschenbroich and Liana Isakadze. He has recorded for Decca, Onyx Classics, Chandos and Champs Hill labels; the “1948” album, recorded with Laura van der Heijden, received “Edison Klassiek” award in 2018. Petr's notable appearances include La Roque d'Antheron festival (Boris Berezovsky's Carte Blanche, broadcast by radio France Musique), Wigmore Hall, iTunes Festival, Cadogan Hall, Kings Place, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Southbank Centre, the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, a recital in The Duke's Hall for HRH Prince Charles, TV appearances for BBC Proms Extra and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and “Culture” TV channel (Russia).