Rose Cholmondeley, Charles Grant

An afternoon of words and music presented by Rose Cholmondeley (President of the Chopin Society UK) and Charles Grant

Rose Cholmondeley studied at the Royal College of Music and later with Angus Morrison, Louis Kentner and Sulamita Aronovsky in London, and Constantin Schmaeling in Paris. She is President of the Chopin Society UK.

Charles Grant is an actor of wide experience in the theatre, films, TV and radio and is currently the Concert Director at “The Actors’ Church,” St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, London.

Chopin and the writer George Sand (Baroness Dudevant) began an affair in the summer of 1838. In order to escape a former lover of hers, and also for the sake of Chopin’s health, they went for a winter holiday to Majorca. It was not a good choice as it was damp and rainy much of the time and the locals – hearing Chopin coughing – thought he had TB and refused to rent them rooms. They were forced to decamp with George’s two children and a maid to a disused monastery, called Valldemossa, in the hills. Here he was to compose some of his finest music.

In the course of the programme, Rose Cholmondeley will play the following pieces by Chopin:

Barcarolle in F# Op 60
6 Preludes from Op 28
Ballade in F Op 38
2 Mazurkas from Op 7: No 1 in Bb & No 2 in A minor
Scherzo in Bb minor Op 31
Scherzo in C# minor Op 39
Nocturne in Db Op.27 No 2
Berceuse in Db Op 57
Ballade in F minor Op 52