Music on Thursdays
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Thursday 23rd October 2025
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Elena Toponogova
piano
Programme
Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1849)
from 24 Preludes Op 28 (1836-39)
No 15 in D flat major “Raindrop” (1838-39)
from Three Mazurkas Op 57 (1843)
No 2 in C major Vivace
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (1855-1914)
from Three Pieces for Piano Op 57 (1900-05)
1 Prelude Db major, “Musical Box”
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
from Six moments musicaux Op 16 (1896)
No 5 Adagio sostenuto in Db major
from Ten Preludes Op 23 (1903)
No 1 in F# minor
Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880-1951)
from Forgotten Melodies, Book I Op 38 (1919-22)
2 Danza graziosa
8 Alla reminiscenza
Gustav Theodore Holst (1874-1934)
from 2 Folk Song Fragments (2 Northumbrian Folk Tunes)
for piano, H166 Op 46/2 (1927)
1 O! I Hae Seen the Roses Blaw
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Three Sketches for piano H 68 (1906)
1 April
2 Rosemary
3 Valse Capricieuse
Concert duration approx: 45+ minutes
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1849)
from 24 Preludes Op 28 (1836-39)
No 15 in D flat major “Raindrop” (1838-39)
from Three Mazurkas Op 57 (1843)
No 2 in C major Vivace
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (1855-1914)
from Three Pieces for Piano Op 57 (1900-05)
1 Prelude Db major, “Musical Box”
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
from Six moments musicaux Op 16 (1896)
No 5 Adagio sostenuto in Db major
from Ten Preludes Op 23 (1903)
No 1 in F# minor
Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880-1951)
from Forgotten Melodies, Book I Op 38 (1919-22)
2 Danza graziosa
8 Alla reminiscenza
Gustav Theodore Holst (1874-1934)
from 2 Folk Song Fragments (2 Northumbrian Folk Tunes)
for piano, H166 Op 46/2 (1927)
1 O! I Hae Seen the Roses Blaw
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Three Sketches for piano H 68 (1906)
1 April
2 Rosemary
3 Valse Capricieuse
Concert duration approx: 45+ minutes
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
Elena Toponogova
Elena is a concert pianist and chamber musician based in London. Her repertoire is primarily comprised of Russian music, with a particular focus on the works of Nikolai Medtner.
Teaming up with Norwegian violinist Elisabeth Turmo, Elena recently released a CD on Quartz dedicated to music inspired by myths and legends.
Her competition successes include the prize for the best performance of a Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach at the Nuova Coppa International Piano Competition in Italy, the 1st prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition in Paris, and she was a semi-finalist in the Gershwin International Piano Competition in New York, USA.
In 2017, Elena earned a Master of Performance degree from the Royal College of Music under the guidance of Norma Fisher. She participated in masterclasses with world-renowned pianists such as Dirk Mommertz (Faure Quartet), G. Gruzman, and I. Chukovskaya and was selected to study at the Academie de Musique Riviera in Switzerland with Pavel Gililov, supported by the Help Musicians UK Transmission Fund grant.
Elena has participated in numerous music festivals, such as the Blanc European Festival in Italy, Bloomsbury Festival, and is a regular guest at the Festival of Chichester. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in prestigious venues such as the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Salzburg Wiener Saal, Amaryllis Fleming Hall, V&A Museum, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields, among others.
Elena is enthusiastic about advocating for music that is rarely performed. In 2017, supported by the Oleg Prokofiev Trust, she delivered a performance of Prokofiev’s Five Poems of Anna Akhmatova at Regent Hall alongside soprano Eleanor Penfold. Musical Opinion Magazine described the concert as 'an inspiring performance.'
Teaming up with Norwegian violinist Elisabeth Turmo, Elena recently released a CD on Quartz dedicated to music inspired by myths and legends.
Her competition successes include the prize for the best performance of a Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach at the Nuova Coppa International Piano Competition in Italy, the 1st prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition in Paris, and she was a semi-finalist in the Gershwin International Piano Competition in New York, USA.
In 2017, Elena earned a Master of Performance degree from the Royal College of Music under the guidance of Norma Fisher. She participated in masterclasses with world-renowned pianists such as Dirk Mommertz (Faure Quartet), G. Gruzman, and I. Chukovskaya and was selected to study at the Academie de Musique Riviera in Switzerland with Pavel Gililov, supported by the Help Musicians UK Transmission Fund grant.
Elena has participated in numerous music festivals, such as the Blanc European Festival in Italy, Bloomsbury Festival, and is a regular guest at the Festival of Chichester. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in prestigious venues such as the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Salzburg Wiener Saal, Amaryllis Fleming Hall, V&A Museum, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields, among others.
Elena is enthusiastic about advocating for music that is rarely performed. In 2017, supported by the Oleg Prokofiev Trust, she delivered a performance of Prokofiev’s Five Poems of Anna Akhmatova at Regent Hall alongside soprano Eleanor Penfold. Musical Opinion Magazine described the concert as 'an inspiring performance.'
Recordings of the works in today's concert
Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1849)
from 24 Preludes Op 28 (1836-39)
No 15 in D flat major “Raindrop” (1838-39)
We open this week's online recordings with a performance of the Rainbow Prelulde by Lang Lang
Chopin took inspiration for the “Raindrop” following a waking dream at the keyboard at a monastery in Majorca. According to George Sand, who interrupted the composer’s reverie when she returned to the monastery during a rainstorm, the composer saw himself drowned in a lake, while heavy drops of water fell in a regular rhythm on his chest.
from 24 Preludes Op 28 (1836-39)
No 15 in D flat major “Raindrop” (1838-39)
We open this week's online recordings with a performance of the Rainbow Prelulde by Lang Lang
Chopin took inspiration for the “Raindrop” following a waking dream at the keyboard at a monastery in Majorca. According to George Sand, who interrupted the composer’s reverie when she returned to the monastery during a rainstorm, the composer saw himself drowned in a lake, while heavy drops of water fell in a regular rhythm on his chest.
Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1849)
from Three Mazurkas Op 56 (1843)
No 2 in C major Vivace
From the 2021's 18th Chopin Competition in Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall comes this performance by Kyohei Sorita:
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (1855-1914)
from Three Pieces for Piano Op 57 (1900-05)
1 Prelude Db major, “Musical Box”
Another competition piece this, performed by Dmitry Sin, for the 2021 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
from Six moments musicaux Op 16 (1896)
No 5 Adagio sostenuto in Db major
Next we hear the young Ukranian pianist Kseniia Vokhmianina in the first round of the 2019 Leeds International Piano Competition, which was held in the Concert Hall of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, part of the National University of Singapore:
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
from Ten Preludes Op 23 (1903)
No 1 in F# minor
We have not yet had any music with the score running, so here is a mix. The score runs along the bottom of the screen while we see Grigory Sokolov in the upper part of the screen:.
Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880-1951)
from Forgotten Melodies, Book I Op 38 (1919-22)
2 Danza graziosa
8 Alla reminiscenza
The Danza graziosa is played in the first video by Johannes Gaechter, around the time he was a porizewinner in the Councours International de Grands Amateurs de Piano. He performed in the Sorbonne, This recording is probably from 2015.
Our recording of the Alla reminiscenza also comes from 10 years ago, when Daniil Trifonov is playing in a highly controlled performance, at a slower pace than Medtner indicated, and of course Trifonov makes it work. What do you think?
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Gustav Theodore Holst (1874-1934)
from 2 Folk Song Fragments (2 Northumbrian Folk Tunes)
for piano, H166 Op 46/2 (1927)
1 O! I Hae Seen the Roses Blaw
Her comes a recording by pianist Maria Marchant. Maria took her undergraduate studies at Trinity Laban and has an MMus in piano performance from the Riyal College of Music.
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Three Sketches for piano H 68 (1906)
1 April
2 Rosemary
3 Valse Capricieuse
Here's a final recording for those like to follow a score. Ashley Wass plays the Three Sketches, recorded for the Naxos label.
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Previous concert
16 October 2025 - Tailleferre Ensemble: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon - click here
Next concert 30 October 2025 - Capricci Duo: violin & viola, click here
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