Italian pianist Eloisa Cascio performs works by Chopin and Schubert at the stunning National Liberal Club, Embankment.

This recital is offered freely but we will be inviting donations towards the costs of running these events. Gift Aid forms will be available on the day.

Following the Recital in the David Lloyd George Room, a Kettner Lunch will take place at 1.45 pm in the National Liberal Club's Dining Room, providing an opportunity to discuss the concert with the artist and fellow audience members in a social, friendly atmosphere. Entirely optional, but highly recommended! £39 for two courses or £45 for three courses. Bookings for the Lunch must be made in advance. Please email us at kettnerconcerts@gmail.com for reservations.

The Programme

Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849) – 4 Impromptus, Op. 29, Op. 36, Op. 51, Op. posth. 66

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828) – 4 Impromptus, Op. 90 / D. 899

Impromptu (noun): a piece of music composed or performed as though spontaneously, without preparation.

Chopin and Schubert each transformed the Impromptu into something far more profound than its title might suggest. In the hands of both composers, these apparently spontaneous pieces become intimate worlds of extraordinary invention and emotional depth.

Schubert's four Impromptus, Op. 90 / D. 899, were written during the final year of his life. The set features a remarkable range of expression: from the stark unaccompanied march-like melody which begins the opening C minor piece, to the rapidly flowing triplets progressing from the airy major to the dark and violent minor in the second, the sublime ‘song without words’ melody of the G-flat major Impromptu, and the restless drama of the final piece. Together they offer a glimpse of Schubert at his most personal and profound.

Chopin's Impromptus were written as individual pieces over a span of 8 years (1834 – 1842). The earliest of these, the Fantasie-Impromptu, was known only to a single person during the composer’s lifetime, an aristocratic pupil who likely paid him well on the understanding that she would have the only copy of it. Chopin had no idea that this work would later become one of the most famous and beloved piano pieces ever written! The brilliance of Chopin the pianist-composer is heard in virtuosic flourishes, while moments of introspection and tenderness reveal a composer who could make the piano appear to speak like a poet’s words.

Two very different musical voices, eight pieces that reveal just how much can be said in the supposedly spontaneous language of the Impromptu, and some of the most compelling music ever written for the piano.

The Artist

This Recital is presented as part of a cultural exchange partnership between Kettner Concerts in the UK and l’Associazione Anna Jervolino di Caserta in Italy.

Eloisa Cascio is an Italian pianist and harpsichordist whose career combines solo performance, chamber music and historical keyboard practice. She studied with Tina Babuscio at the Conservatory of Benevento and subsequently with Pietro De Maria at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, where she obtained her Piano Interpretation Diploma. She also holds advanced degrees in Chamber Music and Harpsichord.

She has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe and in the United States, appearing at major festivals and concert series in Italy, Austria, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Poland, the Baltic states, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, and elsewhere. Her collaborations have included the Aron Quartet Wien, Apollon Quartet and Estonian Chamber Soloists, and she has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including l’Orchestra del Conservatorio di Benevento in Italy, and Dinu Lipatti and Mihai Jora Philharmonic Orchestras in Romania.

Her numerous awards include third prize at the Dichler Competition in Vienna and the University of South Florida Steinway Piano Series Special Award. In 2022 she performed at the György Cziffra Memorial at the Liszt Museum in Budapest. Eloisa Cascio is currently a piano professor at the Nicola Sala Conservatory in Benevento.

The Kettner Lunch

Established in 1974 by Peter Boizot MBE DL (best known as the founder of PizzaExpress) at Kettner's Restaurant in Soho.

The Venue

Designed by Alfred Waterhouse and completed in 1887, the National Liberal Club's Italianate building on the Embankment of the river Thames is the second-largest club-house built in London — located at Whitehall Place, close to the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square. Built on a foundation of inclusivity, the NLC is proud to be one of the most welcoming clubs in London. The David Lloyd George Room is home to our concerts, with a spectacular Steinway Model D piano for artists and audiences to enjoy.

For further information on the venue's Dress Advice, Club Rules, and Accessibility, please visit https://nlc.org.uk/visitor-info/

The Kettner Society: Registered Charity No. 1161105 | https://www.kettnerconcerts.co.uk

Description supplied by the event organiser.