Following its acclaimed debut in 2024, the prestigious Edinburgh Royal Mile Royal International Piano Series returns with a complete cycle of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas and other works, performed across the 2026–27 season. Showcasing exceptional talent from leading UK and international pianists, each recital offers a unique perspective on some of the most profound and beloved works in the piano repertoire.

This season marks the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death  - these concerts pay a fitting tribute to his great genius, two centuries on.

Set against the magnificent backdrop of St Giles’ Cathedral — illuminated by candlelight and enhanced by a newly installed Steinway grand piano — these concerts promise an unforgettable musical experience at the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile.

Featuring

Ariel Lanyi

Programme

33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120 - L.V.Beethoven

About  Ariel Lanyi

In March 2023, Ariel Lanyi was honored to receive the Prix Serdang, a Swiss prize awarded by the distinguished Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder.  The prize is endowed with CHF 50,000 and is not a competition, but a recognition of a young pianist’s achievements and an investment in their future. Prior to this, Ariel won 3rd prize at the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition, performing Brahms Concerto No. 2 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Manze in the finals. In the same year, he was a winner of the Young Classical Artists Trust International Auditions. Current highlights include returns to the Wigmore Hall and to the Miami International Piano Festival, as well as a tour of Asia.  On the concerto platform Ariel has appeared with various orchestras, including the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Israel Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

In 2021 Linn Records released his recording of music by Schubert to critical acclaim. His newest recording, Organ Reflections, a recording of piano music inspired by the organ by Mozart, Franck, and Reger, was released to critical acclaim in May 2025 (“…the admirable Lanyi drawing out their many and varied colours superbly” – from a 5-star review from the BBC Music Magazine). An avid chamber musician, Ariel has attended the Marlboro festival, and has collaborated with eminent musicians such as Maria João Pires, Marina Piccinini, Charles Neidich, Alena Baeva, and Torleif Thedéen. Recent highlights have included recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Fundacion Juan March in Madrid, Homburg MeisterKonzerte series in Germany, the Grafenegg festival in Austria, the Bravo!Vail festival in Colorado, the Kissinger Festsommer and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern festivals in Germany, Perth Concert Hall (broadcast by BBC Radio 3), Vancouver Recital Society, Nottingham International Piano Series, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Merkin Hall in New York, and in festivals across the UK including Chipping Campden, Brighton and Bath.

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