What's On

Internationally acclaimed Australian pianist, Sarah Grunstein, returns to the Sydney Opera House by popular demand, to perform in November 2023. While Grunstein is distinguished for her interpretation of Bach’s works, the praise she has received is not limited to her performances of Bach. Grunstein’s playing has “evoked memories” of the intimate and poetic performance styles of the early 20th century English piano giants, Harold Samuel and Dame Myra Hess.

Her 2023 Sydney Opera House recital is a programme entitled Beethoven’s Last Sonatas. The programme comprises the final three of Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas: his Sonata in E major, Op. 109, Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 110, and his Sonata in C minor, Op. 111.

Grunstein remarks, “In his piano sonatas, Beethoven takes us on a journey. His intent was always to arouse his listeners’ emotions. Beethoven’s late sonatas are a profound journey into the expressiveness of his late style, his inventiveness with structure and the artist’s sound palette, and his demands on the performer and the instrument. The works are at once dramatic and spiritual, harking back to early 18th century styles, and looking ahead to poetic Romanticism. Each sonata is distinct, yet the three together become a journey. For the music-lover’s soul, this journey is one of transcendence.”