Éva Szalai, Eszter Karasszon & Zsófia Staszny Presented by Liszt Academy

‘Unknown Chopin’ – one might well be surprised on first hearing the title of the concert on 27 September. After all, the oeuvre of the Polish maestro is far from unknown in Hungary, and the 2010 commemorative anniversary was not the first time attention had been drawn to him. Solos by the ‘poet of the piano’ have been a core element of concert programmes for nearly a century and a half, although the vocal and chamber compositions of his oeuvre have in fact been somewhat neglected in favour of the large number of polonaises, mazurkas, waltzes and nocturnes. The chamber recital by Éva Szalai, Eszter Karasszon and Zsófia Staszny reveals specialities such as the finest parts of Nineteen Polish Songs in an authentic, Polish-language performance, as well as Liszt arrangements for piano of these songs; Polonaise brillante for cello and piano; plus lesser-known gems of solo piano works such as the Rondo in E-flat major and Allegro de concert; the programme closes with an operatic paraphrase, Grand Duo, written to themes of a Meyerbeer opera.