Pianist Diana Cooper, a graduate of the Royal College of Music and Paris Conservatoire, presents a programme of Chopin’s exquisite piano music, a composer known for his sense of nostalgia, fragility and elegance.

Of the programme, Diana writes: ‘Chopin is particularly close to my heart: his music communicates directly from soul to soul, with the utmost purity and delicate sensitivity. Often associated with nostalgia – for a bygone past and a lost land – Chopin is also the embodiment of elegance, dignity and refinement. Yet beyond all these traits and behind his aristocratic dandy exterior lies a seething, tumultuous soul that transcends and transforms his incredible fragility into virile strength, giving his music a new dimension and unexpected power.

My programme will highlight a wide variety of genres: a set of Mazurkas, a genre known as his signature and often compared to his diary; a Nocturne with a dreamy atmosphere; Etudes showcasing all his ability in combining virtuosity and poetry; and later works including two of his most mature and accomplished masterpieces – the Polonaise-Fantaisie Op.61 and his Sonata No.3 Op.58, summits of his evolution in harmony, structure and expression.’

This performance will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.