Rising Russian star Yulianna Avdeeva illuminates the deep spiritual connection between Chopin and JS Bach. Chopin began each day with Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier, a collection that formed the bedrock of his musical thinking; it was the only score he took with him to the Mallorcan monastery in Valldemosa.

Yulianna begins with the magnificent Toccata in D and grand French Overture, moving on to the polyphonic complexity of Chopin’s Sonata No. 3, where fugue and canon-like episodes play a crucial role in the architecture of the piece. We’ll hear, too, three Mazurkas, those wistful, elusive dances which can only be realised through the ‘stolen time’ of rubato.

‘Yulianna Avdeeva not only has impeccable technique, she “knows” her Chopin, and conveys his music with intensity and tenderness. She loves its furore, its melancholy and fragility.’ Der Westen