The Beethoven Sonatas

Following its acclaimed debut in 2024, the prestigious Edinburgh International Royal Mile Piano Series returns with a complete cycle of Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas, performed across the 2025-26 season. Showcasing exceptional talent from leading UK and international pianists, each recital offers a unique perspective on some of the most profound and beloved works in the piano repertoire.

Set against the magnificent backdrop of St Giles' Cathedral - illuminated by candlelight and enhanced by a newly installed Steinway grand piano - these concerts promise an unforgettable musical experience at the heart of Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile.

Featuring
Olga Stezkho (piano)

Programme
Beethoven - Sonata G minor no.19 Op.49, no.1
Debussy - Clair de lune
Chopin - Nocturne in B major Op.62, no.1
Ravel - (From Miroirs): IV. Alborada del gracioso and V. La vallÚe des cloches
Rachmaninov - Etude-tableaux Op.39, no. 8 and Prelude op 23, no. 4 
Scriabin - Sonata no. 4

Olga Stezhko is an award-winning concert pianist and critically acclaimed recording artist, renowned for her striking and idiosyncratic programmes that explore intriguing connections between music, science and history spanning the last four centuries. She is particularly distinguished in her interpretations of Scriabin and Debussy. Olga is a passionate interdisciplinary collaborator with a love for astrophysics. In her multimedia projects, she engages audiences with groundbreaking ideas and communicates the cutting-edge research in astronomy through an awe-inspiring interplay of music and science. 

Acclaimed by Classical Source in a Wigmore Hall review as "a supremely delicate master of her instrument" with "an extraordinary presence," Olga has performed internationally, from Barbican Hall in London and Salle Cortot in Paris to Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has won numerous international competitions and awards, including the Grand Prix at the Halina Czerny-Stefa?ska In Memoriam International Piano Competition in Poland and First Prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition in France.