The Chopin Society UK

08/10/2026

Our next recital will take place on Sunday 25th October at 4.30 at Westminster Cathedral Hall SW1P 1QW, when the pianist will be DMITRI ALEXEEV. Full details and booking for non-members of the Society now available via this link

Liszt: Variations on a Theme of Bach “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen”, S.180 Schubert (arr. Liszt): Selection of songs 1. Sei mir gegrußt, S.558 No.1 2. Aufenthalt, S.560 No.3 3. Der Wanderer, S.558 No.11 4. Litanei, S.562 No.1 Wagner (arr. Liszt): Isoldens Liebestod from “Tristan und Isolde.....

07/10/2026

The Memorial Service for one of the Chopin Society's oldest friends, Alec Cobbe CVO, was held at St. James's Piccadilly yesterday in the presence of HM The King.
Several members of the Chopin Society Committee were there. It was a very moving service, and the music - as might be expected - was wonderful. Rest in peace Alec.
Photos: Marek Ostas.

28/09/2026

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2026/09/28/martin-james-bartlett-seduces-the-chopin-society-with-the-man-i-love-and-much-more-besides/

Martin Bartlett may have kept the best to last with a dream performance of ‘The Man I Love’ as a tribute to Gershwin on his birthday . flowers courtesy of Marina Chan But it was much more than that…

28/09/2026

Martin Bartlett may have kept the best to last with a dream performance of ‘The Man I Love’ as a tribute to Gershwin on his birthday . flowers courtesy of Marina Chan But it was much more than that…

28/09/2026

Photos by Marek Ostas of yesterday's packed out recital by the brilliant Martin James Bartlett.

26/09/2026

150 tickets sold for Martin James Bartlett's recital tomorrow. Book now:

Programme Bach: “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” - Schübler Choräle, BWV 645 Bach-Kempff: Siciliano in G minor from Flute Sonata No.2 in E-flat major, BWV 1031 Handel: Chaconne in G major, HWV 435 Mozart: Piano Sonata No.11 in A major, K331 Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No.1; Noct...

22/09/2026

Watch Martin James Bartlett perform Mozart. He'll play a fabulous programme for us this coming Sunday. For details, see post below

-- English below --Het muzikale programma:Wolfgang Amadeus Mozar...

22/09/2026

Our sincere apologies for the incorrect date given recently on the Facebook event announcement for MARTIN JAMES BARTLETT's recital. It will actually take place on 27th September (this coming Sunday). 100 tickets have already been sold.
If you are a member of the Chopin Society, contact Gillian Newman on [email protected] and tell her if you are going to stay for tea. The concert is also open to the public who can buy tickets via WeGotTickets.com Here is the link https://wegottickets.com/f/26519 We look forward very much to seeing you there!

Programme Bach: “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” - Schübler Choräle, BWV 645 Bach-Kempff: Siciliano in G minor from Flute Sonata No.2 in E-flat major, BWV 1031 Handel: Chaconne in G major, HWV 435 Mozart: Piano Sonata No.11 in A major, K331 Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No.1; Noct...

14/09/2026

Our next recital will take place on Sunday 27th September, 4.30pm at Westminster Cathedral Hall. It will be given by Martin James Bartlett, who will play a super programme of Bach, Handel, Mozart, Chopin, Faure and Granados.

Martin James Bartlett possesses a fearless technique and plays with a maturity and elegance far beyond his years. In 2022, he became the inaugural recipient of the Prix Serdang, a Swiss award curated by Rudolf Buchbinder to recognise a young pianist forging an international solo career. An exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics, Bartlett has earned consistent critical acclaim, with his albums receiving five-star reviews and top accolades. Praised by The Arts Desk for his performance as “frankly like watching another, superior, species,” Bartlett continues to affirm his place as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation.

Members & Friends of the Society should book by contacting Hon. Secretary Gillian Newman on [email protected] Non-Members can book online via this link

Programme Bach: “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” - Schübler Choräle, BWV 645 Bach-Kempff: Siciliano in G minor from Flute Sonata No.2 in E-flat major, BWV 1031 Handel: Chaconne in G major, HWV 435 Mozart: Piano Sonata No.11 in A major, K331 Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No.1; Noct...

28/08/2026

Chopin and Sand would surely have approved. For nine days, the Nohant estate was alive with music during the Concours International de Piano Chopin Pleyel - performances full of spontaneity, imagination, lyrical beauty, rhythmic vitality, and an astonishing palette of colour.
In the converted barn across the former studio of Delacroix - the venue of the concerts - all seats were taken with elegantly dressed melomans, many of whom had travelled to the heart of the Berry region from Paris and beyond.
The winner of the Competition, a 19-year old Frenchman, Raphael Collard - favourite of the audience as well as the judges - left with a glittering array of prizes ,including a brand -new Pleyel grand piano ("I haven't got a room for it yet " - he told me with a smile).
Just like 187 years ago, when Chopin first set foot in Nohant, the sound of a Pleyel piano drifted through the summer air (and via streaming, across the world). This time, however, it came from two pianos as some competitors chose to "abandon" the modern Pleyel in favour of an 1844 model, offering the audience the rare chance to hear mazurkas and nocturnes closer to "Chopin's original" thus compare directly the different characteristics of the two instruments.
The Pleyel presence is only one element that sets this competition apart. Its true magic lies in its location - steps away from the house where Chopin found refuge, inspiration and creative renewal. Many people told me that the competition's intimate ,almost family-like atmosphere brings them closer to Chopin that anywhere else. It's a perfect meeting point between history and the present.
This new chapter in Chopin competitions exists thanks to the driving force of Monsieur Yves Henry, whose energy must be seen to be believed. A renowned pianist (winner of the 1981 Robert Schumann Piano Competition; he played for our Society in 2013) , professor at the Paris Conservatory, President of the Nohant Festival Chopin, he spent two years shaping this event together with Pleyel and the Centre des Monuments Nationaux.
The inaugural edition of the Chopin Pleyel Nohant 2026 has now entered the history books on a wonderfully high note - more to come in three years time.

Marek Ostas

(With special thanks to Yves Henry and his great team: Martine, Sylviane, Thomas and many others)