Events

Beethoven Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major, Op. 31, No. 3
Prokofiev Ten Pieces for Piano, Op. 12 (nos. 1-3 and 6-10)
Interval
Robert Schumann Carnaval, Op. 9

Elisabeth Brauß presents a delightful programme. To open, she plays one of Beethoven’s most lyrical and cheerful piano sonatas, nicknamed ‘The Hunt’ for its spirited finale. A playful collection of dances and marches by Prokofiev follows and then, post-interval, Robert Schumann’s masked ball. Carnaval is a work of 21 short pieces, each one a dance or a character or a scene at a mardi gras revelry. Pierrot and Arlequin mingle with Chopin and Paganini and with some of Schumann’s own close friends. But there is more to it than meets the eye. A recurring motif connects the movements and within the notes is a code. As Schumann predicted, ‘deciphering my masked ball will be a real game for you’.

Born in Hanover in 1995, Elisabeth Brauß has been impressing critics from the start. Reviewing her debut album, Gramophone commented ‘It is rare to encounter this degree of instrumental mastery wed to musical depth and sensitivity in one so young.’ As a BBC New Generation Artist 2018-2020 she performed widely across the UK and in 2021 was a recipient of the Terence Judd-Hallé Award, which is given to a pianist judged to be right on the cusp of an international career.