The Strand International Piano Series - The Beethoven Sonatas

Step into the stunning candlelit setting of St Mary le Strand — “the Jewel of the Strand” — for the return of The Strand International Piano Series, now it's in 5th year after a critically acclaimed launch season in 2022–23. This intimate and architecturally impressive Baroque church has quickly become one of London’s most captivating concert venues.

This year’s series celebrates one of the most profound and enduring achievements in the piano repertoire: Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas. Spanning the full arc of Beethoven’s creative life, these masterpieces offer an extraordinary portrait of the composer’s evolving musical voice—from youthful elegance and Classical clarity to thunderous drama, virtuosic brilliance, profound lyricism, and deeply introspective beauty. These concerts are a tribute to Beethoven at the 200th anniversary of his death.

Whether you’re a seasoned concert-goer or discovering classical piano music for the first time, this is an evening not to be missed—set in one of London’s most atmospheric musical spaces, just steps away from some of the city’s finest restaurants and bars.

Featuring
Ashley Fripp (piano)

Programme
Schubert - Impromptu in C minor, Op. 90, No. 1 
Beethoven - Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10, No. 2
Schubert - Impromptu in G flat maj Op. 90, No. 3
Beethoven - Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 (The Tempest)

British pianist Ashley Fripp has performed extensively as recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia in many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. Highlights include the Carnegie Hall (New York), Musikverein (Vienna), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Philharmonie halls of Cologne, Paris, Luxembourg and Warsaw, the Bozar (Brussels), the Royal Festival, Barbican and Wigmore Halls (London), the Laeiszhalle (Hamburg), Palace of Arts (Budapest), the Megaron (Athens), Konzerthaus Dortmund, the Gulbenkian Auditorium (Lisbon) and the Konserthus (Stockholm).

He has won prizes at more than a dozen national and international competitions, including at the Hamamatsu (Japan), Birmingham and Leeds International Piano Competitions, the Royal Over-Seas League Competition, the Concours Européen de Piano (France) and the coveted Gold Medal from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Ashley was awarded the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ highest award, The Prince’s Prize, and was chosen as a ‘Rising Star’ by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). He has also performed in the Chipping Campden, Edinburgh, Brighton, Bath, Buxton, City of London, and St. Magnus International Festivals as well as the Oxford International Piano Festival, the Festival Pontino di Musica (Italy) and the Powsin International Piano Festival (Poland).