Solo Recital 

The Story

How did the music of Haydn and Mozart truly sound when the piano was still in its infancy?

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This programme shifts away from modern listening habits, rediscovering the authentic soundscapes of the Viennese Classical era.

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Through the use of a historical keyboard instrument with unleathered hammers, the silvery clarity of the old harpsichord tradition merges with the exciting new dynamics of the Classical era.

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A radical and fascinating glimpse into the birth of the piano sound.

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Works & Repertoire

Selected solo sonatas, variations, and fantasias by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Jan Ladislav Dussek, Muzio Clementi, Martin Kraus, and/or other contemporaries of Mozart.

​​​The Story 

In the winter of 1775, a legendary musical competition took place in Munich: the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart competed against Ignaz von Beecke—a composer nearly forgotten today, but celebrated as a genius at the time.

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While Mozart dazzled with his infallible agility, Beecke's playing touched audiences with a rare, deeply emotional, and singing wealth of nuance.

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This programme revives that historic contest, bringing to light exclusive musical treasures that cannot be found anywhere online.

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Works & Repertoire
Exclusive music by Ignaz von Beecke (Pièces de clavecin and sonatas not available online), combined with well-known keyboard works by Mozart.

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The Story

It was an extraordinary commission from Cádiz, Spain, that reached Joseph Haydn in 1786: he was asked to translate the seven last words of Jesus on the Cross into pure instrumental music.

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The result is one of his most profound and spiritual masterpieces. While this music is usually heard in large orchestral or quartet settings, this authorized solo version from 1787 brings the monumental drama back into a space of absolute silence.

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On the historical fortepiano, the seven sonatas are transformed into a deeply intimate, moving listening experience.

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Works & Repertoire

Joseph Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross (Hob. XX:1C)

The Story

Vienna in the early 19th century was musically dominated by the elemental force of Ludwig van Beethoven. Only a few young composers could stand their ground under the master’s strict gaze.

One of the most brilliant exceptions was the young Bohemian Jan Václav Voříšek. When Beethoven heard his forward-looking rhapsodies, he was deeply impressed and full of admiration for the young genius. Voříšek, who absorbed Beethoven’s visionary drama like no other, created the direct precursors to Franz Schubert’s music with his impromptus.

This programme contrasts Beethoven’s untamed Appassionata with the virtuosic and lyrical masterpieces of his esteemed contemporary.

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Works & Repertoire

Jan Václav Voříšek: Selected rhapsodies and impromptus; Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata"

The Story

This recital unfolds the full theatrical power of the early 19th century: as Napoleon’s troops marched on Vienna in May 1809, Ludwig van Beethoven poured the forced departure of his patron, Archduke Rudolph, into his deeply personal sonata "Les Adieux".

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The central thread of the programme is woven around Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, who was killed shortly before in the same war. Beethoven deeply admired him and called him the "most human man" he had ever met. It was for this prince, his closest friend and companion, that Jan Ladislav Dussek composed his intensely emotional "Élégie harmonique" out of profound grief.

This dramatic journey through time is flanked by Muzio Clementi’s tragic sonata "Didone abbandonata" and Dussek’s gripping musical depiction of the death of Marie-Antoinette – his former piano pupil in Paris.

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Works & Repertoire

Jan Ladislav Dussek: The Sufferings of the Queen of France; Piano Sonata Élégie harmonique; Muzio Clementi: Piano Sonata Didone abbandonata; Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 26 Les Adieux

The Story

Julie Baroni-Cavalcabó was a master student of Mozart’s son in Lviv, founded music societies, and performed as a celebrated virtuoso on stages across Europe. When Robert Schumann met her in Leipzig in 1835, he was deeply impressed by her talent.

At a time when he noted that the names of female composers could "fit on a single rose petal," he highly praised her Allegro di bravura.

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This mutual artistic esteem culminated in two dedications: Schumann initially intended to dedicate his famous Arabeske to her, but ultimately dedicated his Humoreske, while Baroni-Cavalcabó in return inscribed her expressive L’Adieu et le Retour to him.

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This program brings the creations of this today forgotten artist to the stage, placing them in dialogue with the music of Schumann—an exchange full of yearning, poetry, and passionate virtuosity.

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Works & Repertoire

Julie Baroni-Cavalcabó: Selected works; Robert Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien or Kreisleriana, Humoreske.

The Story

Munich, summer of 1830: the music world celebrates the 17-year-old Delphine von Schauroth as a sensation on par with Franz Liszt. When the young Felix Mendelssohn encounters her, he immediately loses his heart. Inspired by her fiery playing, he composes his famous G minor Piano Concerto for her and arranges his Rondo capriccioso for her. Yet, a marriage is prevented by his family.

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What follows is the heartbreaking drama of a highly gifted woman who is systematically "cancelled" by the merciless society of the 19th century.

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This full-length programme is a true musicological sensation: Els Biesemans brings several works back to the stage that were long believed to be lost.

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Works & Repertoire

Delphine von Schauroth: Capriccio, Fantasie, Grande sonate brillante, Lieder ohne Worte in dialogue with works by Felix Mendelssohn that he dedicated to Delphine von Schauroth (including Rondo capriccioso and the First Venetian Gondola Song).

The Story

In Robert Schumann’s imaginative struggle against the musical "Philistines" of his time, a tight-knit circle of real and imaginary companions stood by his side: the Davidsbündler.

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This piano recital sheds light on this exclusive, idealistic network. At its heart are Schumann’s passionate alter egos: the impetuous Florestan and the melancholic Eusebius, flanked by the artistic pillars of the league: Chiarina (Schumann’s beloved Clara), the short-lived Jonathan (his best friend Ludwig Schunke), and the highly revered Felix meritis (Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy).

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Works & Repertoire

Robert Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze or Kreisleriana; Clara Schumann: Scherzo; Felix Mendelssohn: Variations sérieuses; Ludwig Schunke: Fantasy

The Story

Els Biesemans has immersed herself in the historical playing styles and testimonies of Frédéric Chopin’s direct pupils and grand-pupils, who consciously sought to preserve the unique essence of Chopin’s pianism for posterity.

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In the same spirit, the pianist cultivates the art of bel canto on the piano – the delicate, highly flexible rubato and that almost hovering lightness of touch that once made Chopin’s own playing so unique in the Parisian salons.

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In her interpretation, one rediscovers Chopin anew.

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Works & Repertoire

Frédéric Chopin: Selected keyboard works. Depending on the concert evening, the repertoire is curated into a tailor-made dramaturgical arc.

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