Beethoven Appassionata

Tim Horton is at the Upper Chapel on Norfolk Street (S1 2JD) on Saturday 24 October for an afternoon recital. It's the first in a marathon project of his: performing Beethoven's complete piano sonata cycle. This one centres on the Appassionata, and it's presented by Music in the Round.

If you're not familiar with the Appassionata, it's worth knowing that it only got its nickname after Beethoven died. Most of it was sketched in 1805 and first published in 1807. The original manuscript, which is in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, still bears water stains from a storm that soaked it during one of the composer's journeys. It's a far cry from the earlier Kurfürsten Sonatas, Op. 2, which date from 1783 when Beethoven was only thirteen.

Horton is one of the UK's leading pianists, as comfortable with solo work as he is in chamber music. He gave his debut solo recital at Wigmore Hall in 2016, is broadcast by BBC Radio 3, and is a founding member of both Ensemble 360 and the Leonore Piano Trio. This recital kicks off his cycle of the complete sonatas, so it's the first of many to follow.

The concert is on Saturday 24 October, an afternoon performance at the Upper Chapel on Norfolk Street, S1 2JD. It's the start of Tim Horton's complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle, with the Appassionata taking centre stage.