Complete Chopin Piano Series: Concert 8

The virtuoso British pianist, Warren Mailley-Smith, presents the eighth of eleven concerts in his remarkable complete Chopin cycle in which he will perform all Chopin’s 200+ piano solo works, from memory. Glowing reviews so far: ” .. triumphantly confirmed Mailley-Smith’s Chopin credentials .. formidable technique .. breathtaking command of dynamic gradations .. wholly exceptional .. This quite memorable recital was justly rewarded with a spontaneous standing ovation .. brilliant account of the youthful G sharp minor .. subtle, atmospheric performance of the Opus 72/1 Nocturne marked by a beautifully played remote accompaniment and effortless drifts of decoration  .. elegant tone and emotional refinement .. assured technique .. each (Etude)was a minor miracle, sensitively rendered and deftly delivered .. overall result was exceptionally engaging and intense .. intensely poetic: under his sensitive touch the music grew and ramified persuasively .. the Mazurkas themselves emerged pristine: he caught the sweet artlessness and abrupt mood-changes to a T .. consistently high technical and expressive standard.. his mastery of phrasing and a quite magical graduation between piano and pianissimo passages .. exceptionally well conveyed ..  admirably convincing ..  finely observed .. one has nothing but high praise .. outstandingly well performed .. full of considerable interpretative understanding, and possessing an organic cohesion which did full justice to Chopin’s profoundly expressive originality ..”

This outstanding pianist is a favourite with London audiences and venues alike. Warren has played for the British Royal Family on many occasions and has given acclaimed solo recitals at Carnegie and Wigmore halls as well as performing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The focus of this evening’s programme is on the Polonaise, concluding with one of Chopin’s most celebrated works, the ‘Heroic’ Polonaise, in which he takes the dance form to new heights of bravura. This is also a chance to hear the rarely performed Allegro de Concert in A, a work requiring enormous technical prowess, and one which is understood to have been conceived as the first movement of a third Piano Concerto.

St John’s Smith Square is a unique concert venue: the only Baroque concert hall in the UK, historical, superb acoustic, beautiful interior and the convenience of its own bar and restaurant in the crypt offering concert goers maximum convenience for the perfect evening out.

So come and indulge yourself with a spectacular evening of uplifting music at St John’s Smith Square, performed by this exceptional pianist.

Programme :

• Polonaise No. 8 in D Minor, Op. 71, No. 1
• Mazurka No. 36 in A Minor, Op. 59, No. 1
• Mazurka No. 37 in A-Flat, Op. 59, No. 2
• Mazurka No. 38 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 59, No. 3
• Mazurka No. 39 in B, Op. 63, No. 1 Mazurka No. 40 in F Minor, Op. 63, No. 2 Nocturne No. 18 in E, Op. 62, No. 2
• Allegro de concert in A, Op. 46
• Souvenir de Paganini
• Nocturne No. 17 in B, Op. 62, No. 1
• Nocturne No. 3 in B, Op. 9, No. 3
• Polonaise in G-Flat, Op. posth.
• Waltz No. 17 in E-Flat, Op. posth.
• Polonaise No. 6 in A-Flat, Op. 53 -“Heroic”