The Drogheda Classical Music Series continues to offer world class musical treats to music overs in Drogheda and the final two concerts of the 2022/23 series continue that trend by featuring two outstanding pianists.

This Friday 24 March, in the beautiful surroundings of St. Peter’s Church of Ireland, Drogheda, multi prize-winning Daniel Lebhardt makes his Irish solo debut with a programme of popular and thrilling works by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Ethel Smyth and Beethoven.

Born in Hungary, Daniel Lebhardt studied at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest with István Gulyás and Gyöngyi Keveházi, then with Pascal Nemirovski at the Royal Academy of Music and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He is fast becoming a soloist of note, with repeat invites to major orchestras and concert halls.

His programme for Drogheda includes some of the great works of the piano repertoire. Brahms’ Four Ballades is a collection of miniature works full of beautiful melodies.

Ethel Smyth is one of a number of recently discovered female composers who was as prolific as her male counterparts but fell from the history books.

Her second sonata oozes influence from the time with rich textures and full of passion. Sticking with romance and short works, Mendelssohn’s "Songs Without Words" are within the grasp of most pianists yet remain within the core piano repertoire.

Completing the programme, Beethoven’s Sonata no 21, considered one of Beethoven's greatest and most technically challenging works. This is a great concert for any newcomers to classical music or those studying piano.

Brahms 4 Ballades Op. 10
Ethel Smyth Sonata No. 2 
Mendelssohn Songs without Words 
Beethoven Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 ‘Waldstein’

Tickets are €20 (€18 conc.) and booking is available through Droichead Arts Centre. Further details on the series are available here.

The 2023 series will be brought to a thrilling conclusion on Friday 21 April with South African pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout and the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Drogheda Classical Music is funded by the Arts Council and Louth County Council and run in partnership with Droichead Arts Centre with sponsorship from WhitelightEvents and RTÉ Supporting the Arts.