Ariel Lanyi          piano
Beethoven         Sonata No. 16, Op. 31, No. 1
Debussy              Préludes, Book II

Prize-winner at the 2021 Leeds Piano Competition, Ariel’s first visit to Nottingham in 2023 saw him praised as an ‘adventurous intellect’ with a ‘calm maturity’. The two pieces he brings with him on this visit explore the development and experimentation of their composers. The first of Beethoven’s Op. 31 sonatas this season showcases the composer’s growing confidence and originality, blending humour and lyricism with delightful results. The second book of Debussy’s Preludes were not as well received as the first during his lifetime, but the more advanced harmonies and style are paired with a sensuous beauty as Debussy takes us from autumn leaves and mists, through Spain, Egypt, to Peter Pan and Dickens, and finally to the fireworks in Paris.

Our Sunday Piano Series performances are informal and introduced from the stage, and you can chat with the pianists in the bar after the concert and still have time to get back home for Sunday Lunch!