i Allegro vivo, ii Intermède, iii Finale: Très animé
This was Debussy’s last work, and it cost him dearly. Depression induced by war, with aggressive cancer causing debilitation and intense pain, this should have been a morose piece. But, inspired by the then little known baroque keyboard music of the likes of Couperin and Rameau, it is joyous – and all too short. Like Reger and Ysaӱe he was looking back to find renewal. If you think of cats and kittens as you listen to this, you won’t be alone.
Lili Boulanger wrote the Nocturne aged eighteen, in 1911, originally scored for violin and piano. It shows, in its clean lines, lightish texture and the almost ironically sudden dismissal of its pseudo-romantic climax, a move back in tone towards the music of earlier French composers, while the little quotation at the end from Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune surely looks forward to a future in which Wagner would no longer hold the reins of power. (Roger Nichols)
i Adagio sostenuto – Presto
ii Andante con variazioni
iii Presto
The Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47, by Ludwig van Beethoven, is an 1803 sonata for piano and violin notable for its technical difficulty, unusual length (around 40 minutes), and emotional scope. It is commonly known as the Kreutzer Sonata after the violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer, to whom it was ultimately dedicated, but who thoroughly disliked the piece and refused to play it.
Sharon Zhou & Jad Grainger (Violin/Piano Duo)
Named one of the 2026 Classic FM Rising Stars, Sharon is a British violinist and composer, currently studying at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna and is an artist at the Davidsbündler Academy in The Hague. From a young age, she has performed throughout the UK, Europe and China as both a soloist and chamber musician, making her concerto debut at the age of fourteen with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. She has collaborated with renowned artists including Christian Altenburger, Adrian Brendel, Ana Chumachenco, Ernst Kovacic and Boris Kuschnir, amongst others. In addition, Sharon has been a laureate of several competitions, such as 1st prize at the North London Music Festival, the Colonel Howes Prize at the Eastbourne Young Soloist Competition and the Silver Award at Internationale Musikfest Wien, where she made her debut at the Musikverein.
Most recently, she premiered her first two compositions, “Prima o poi” for violin and piano and “Solace” for solo violin. She was also a recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Julius Isserlis Scholarship. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the Royal College of Music under the guidance of Detlef Hahn, Daniel Rowland and Peter Manning.
Born in Norwich, Jad Grainger graduated in his Masters in performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2024. He moved to London in 2018 to commence his undergraduate study at the Guildhall. At the Guildhall, Jad’s principal study was with Philip Jenkins, while he also played in masterclasses with Robert Levin, Noriko Ogawa, Boris Berman, Paul Roberts and Leslie Howard.
In 2022 Jad was a finalist of the Guildhall School’s Beethoven Competition, playing Beethoven’s “Appassionata” Sonata op57, 2023 and 2024 saw more success in Guildhall Competitions, being a finalist in the ‘Ivan Sutton Chamber prize’ (2023) and the ‘Romantic piano prize’ (2024). For the conclusion of his Masters, Jad worked with Professor David Dolan for a Mozart piano concerto project involving improvisatory elements, including cadenzas, arranged for piano and string quartet.
Both in 2024 and 2025, Jad travelled to Italy for masterclasses with Federico Colli at the “Lake Garda Music prestige academy” and to France; to teach, play concerts and participate as a scholar at “Music at Chateau D’Aix” with Paul Roberts, Charles Owen and Martin Sturfält.
Parallel to his development as a soloist, Jad has relished working both with the “Elvira Trio” in his final year at Guildhall and afterwards; where they cultivated a relationship and played concerts regularly for the ‘Friends of the UK Mendelssohn Foundation’. The trio also played a recital at St Mary’s Perivale in spring 2025. Jad inaugurated the Reform Club’s two piano recital series alongside Leslie Howard in September 2024 with Percy Grainger’s ‘Lincolnshire Posy’ and Rachmaninoff’s ‘Symphonic Dances’. Jad later returned to the reform club in 2025 for a solo recital and a Beethoven Masterclass playing for Boris Giltburg. In addition to trio playing, Jad has been a regular collaborator at Norwich Cathedral chapel with violinist Dylan Latham where they played recitals on behalf of the Norwich School in 2023,2024 and 2025.
Highlights in 2026 are performing in Girona, Oxford and East Sussex.
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