Events

We are most grateful to Professor Nick Couldry for his generous sponsorship of this concert.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Sonata no.6 in D major K284

Felix Mendelssohn Variations sérieuses, Op.54

Interval

Aaron Copland Piano Variations (1930)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  Piano Sonata no. 11 in A major K331

Internationally acclaimed for his Beethoven Cycle and for his Schubert Series, Paul Lewis now turns his attention to Mozart with a Mozart + world tour. In his own words:

“For many years I’ve wanted to spend some time focusing on Mozart’s piano sonatas and have long felt sceptical of the broadly held view that these remarkable works are the poor siblings of his piano concertos – less original, inspired, and engaging than their symphonic counterparts. From the transparency, discretion, and humour of Poulenc, through the vocal and operatic world of Chopin and Weber, to the development of variation form and, ultimately, the dramatic tension of Beethoven’s musical language – all of these threads are traceable to, and audible in, the piano sonatas of Mozart.”

In the first instalment of Mozart + last year, Paul Lewis paired piano sonatas no. 10 and no. 14 with pieces by Poulenc and Debussy. Tonight we are treated to no. 6 and no. 11, alongside seminal sets of variations by Mendelssohn and Copland. Mendelssohn – ‘the Mozart of the Romantic Age’ – is a logical choice but why Copland? How brilliant to have Paul Lewis as our guide.

Watch Paul Lewis performing Haydn: Piano Sonata in D major, Hob. XVI:51