fortyfivedownstairs Chamber Music Festival 2025: The Institute for Enquiring Minds Presents Michael Leslie – Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Schumann

The Institute for Enquiring Minds is an educational initiative helping high school students experiencing disadvantage improve their maths skills. For the third year running, the Institute of Enquiring Minds is delighted to present a living legend of Australian pianism, Michael Leslie returning from Germany for a deeply personal and masterful recital. Leslie is a force of nature at the piano, bringing decades of wisdom, intensity, and artistry to this extraordinary program.

From the luminous counterpoint of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp minor, through the poetic fire of Chopin’s Polonaise in F-sharp minor, to Beethoven’s mystical and radiant Sonata Op. 101, this is a program of profound depth and emotional range. After the interval, Leslie unleashes the full Romantic spirit in Schumann’s Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 11—a work of soaring lyricism, passion, and virtuosity.

J. S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in f Sharp Minor BWV 833

Frédéric Chopin: Polonaise in f Sharp minor Opus 44

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in A Major Opus 101

Robert Schumann: Sonata in f Sharp Minor Opus 11

Special Offer – For a truly unforgettable musical journey, join Michael Leslie again on Saturday 17 May as he joins Coady Green for a monumental two-piano performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in Liszt’s staggering arrangement. Click HERE to book for both concerts and receive a special package discount.

Friday 16 May – 7:30pm

fortyfivedownstairs

TICKETS: $42 – $32