Chetham’s Lunchtime Concerts
Carole Nash HallTake a lunch break and enjoy this free recital by some of the UK’s most exciting young musicians! Discover the...
Chopin’s genius changed the course of the piano – and music itself – yet it also bridged the gap between the connoisseur and the casual listener. The great Polish pianist Arthur Rubinstein, reflecting on his long career, noted how Chopin’s music transcends barriers, uniting people from all walks of life, saying,
“Sometimes, I think that I am not so much a pianist but a vampire. All my life, I have lived off the blood of Chopin.”
James Lisney makes his Stoller Hall debut with some of Chopin’s best-loved piano music. This programme displays the Polish composer’s mastery of epic narration (the ballades), profound poetry (a representative selection of nocturnes), and the skills of the salon virtuoso (the impromptus).
“Audiences and pianists love this music, and playing it is a fascinating challenge. Chopin gets to the heart of our physical relationship with the instrument and the beauty and meaning implicit in the score. His music exemplifies exactitude and classical values combined with the virtuoso skills of poetic recreation and improvisation.” James Lisney
“James Lisney has the rare ability to play Chopin with a genuine pianissimo, as well as possessing a full range of power and sensitivity when required. Chopin playing of fine quality and discernment.” – Musical Opinion
CHOPIN
Nocturne in E, (1827)
Lento con gran espressione (1830)
Fantaisie-impromptu (1834)
Ballade in g, opus 23
Nocturnes, opus 27
Impromptu in A flat, opus 2
Impromptu in F sharp, opus 36
Ballade in F, opus 38
Interval
Nocturnes, opus 55
Ballade in A flat, opus 47
Impromptu in G flat, opus 51
Ballade in f, opus 52
Nocturnes, opus 62
Chopin’s genius changed the course of the piano – and music itself – yet it also bridged the gap between the connoisseur and the casual listener. The great Polish pianist Arthur Rubinstein, reflecting on his long career, noted how Chopin’s music transcends barriers, uniting people from all walks of life, saying,
“Sometimes, I think that I am not so much a pianist but a vampire. All my life, I have lived off the blood of Chopin.”
James Lisney makes his Stoller Hall debut with some of Chopin’s best-loved piano music. This programme displays the Polish composer’s mastery of epic narration (the ballades), profound poetry (a representative selection of nocturnes), and the skills of the salon virtuoso (the impromptus).
“Audiences and pianists love this music, and playing it is a fascinating challenge. Chopin gets to the heart of our physical relationship with the instrument and the beauty and meaning implicit in the score. His music exemplifies exactitude and classical values combined with the virtuoso skills of poetic recreation and improvisation.” James Lisney
“James Lisney has the rare ability to play Chopin with a genuine pianissimo, as well as possessing a full range of power and sensitivity when required. Chopin playing of fine quality and discernment.” – Musical Opinion
Take a lunch break and enjoy this free recital by some of the UK’s most exciting young musicians! Discover the...
Make your lunchtime magical with our free Relaxed Lunchtime Concerts featuring performances by some of the UK’s most exciting young...
A concert of historically informed performances by students from across the school, within the 600 year old setting of Baronial...
A concert featuring performances of students’ own compositions, performed by ensembles of the school’s talented young musicians.