Ely Cathedral Sparkling Valentine’s Concert 2016

Sat 13 February 2016

Ely Cathedral

For out-and-out romance on Valentine’s Weekend, join British concert pianist Warren Mailley-Smith for a candlelit and bubbly-filled evening of romantic piano music. Warren was born in Earith, a small village outside Cambridge. He had his first piano lessons there as a small boy of four. He visited Ely Cathedral with his parents as a youngster and so overwhelmed was he by the spectacular building and soaring columns that his ambition was born then to perform here. Warren says Ely’s acoustic is incredible and that he will have to be dragged away from it and the beautiful Steinway grand at the end of the concert. It takes place in the only UK building to be listed as ‘one of the seven medieval wonders of the world’. Ely has been a prominent film location for many films Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Other Boleyn Girl and The King’s Speech. A self-confessed Romantic, Warren will be performing a selection of classics guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings.

Warren’s latest album ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ was featured as Classic FM’s Drive Album of the week in the run up to Christmas 2015. He has performed for the Royal Family, and at the Wigmore and Carnegie halls as well as with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This season, he is also performing the complete works of Chopin for solo piano from memory, a truly marathon endeavour for any international concert pianist, featuring 230 pieces, 11 concerts, and 3.5 million notes! His intimate Valentine’s performance at Ely Cathedral will feature a number of Chopin’s greatest romantic masterpieces given by one of the country’s foremost Chopin specialists. The candlelight concert will also feature stunning guest international soprano, Susan Parkes, in a selection of romantic songs by Chopin and bel canto arias by Bellini.

Programme:
Chopin - Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor
Chopin - Impromptu No. 1 in A flat Op. 29
Chopin - Nocturne No. 9 in B Op. 32 No. 1?
Chopin - Nocturne No. 1 in C sharp minor Op. 27
Chopin – Waltz in A flat op 34 no. 1
Chopin - Waltz No. 11 in G flat Op. 70 No. 1
Puccini – O mio babino
Chopin – Polish Songs
Bellini – Casta Diva
Chopin - Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor Op. 35
Chopin - Nocturne No. 2 in D flat Op. 27
Chopin - Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor Op. posth
Chopin - Ballade No. 1 in G minor Op 23

Cost: £25 (includes a glass of bubbly and a programme.)