Alim Beisembayev

This event will be livestreamed on the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra YouTube channel  

Haydn Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6
Beethoven Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Liszt Selections from Études d’exécution transcendante, S. 139

It is always a joy to witness the success of Oxford Piano Festival participant alumni, and one example is Alim Beisembayev, who won the 2021 Leeds Piano Competition, proving himself a ‘real musical personality’ (The Guardian). Returning to the Festival, no longer as a student but a star, he takes on the momentous challenge of Liszt’s Transcendental Études, along with two works that were concluding statements in their authors’ keyboard output: Haydn’s  F minor variations and Beethoven’s final sonata Op. 111 – a tour de force compressed into two movements. Asked where was the expected third, Beethoven supposedly replied that he couldn’t be bothered to write it. But in truth, these mighty movements are completely self-sufficient. Nothing more is needed.