Following its acclaimed debut in 2024, the prestigious Edinburgh Royal Mile Royal International Piano Series returns with a complete cycle of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas, performed across the 2026–27 season. Showcasing exceptional talent from leading UK and international pianists, each recital offers a unique perspective on some of the most profound and beloved works in the piano repertoire.

This season marks the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death  - these concerts pay a fitting tribute to his great genius, two centuries on.

Set against the magnificent backdrop of St Giles’ Cathedral — illuminated by candlelight and enhanced by a newly installed Steinway grand piano — these concerts promise an unforgettable musical experience at the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile.

Featuring

Viv McLean

Programme

Scarlatti Sonata in F Minor K. 466

Beethoven Sonata in E Flat Op. 81a 'Les Adieux'

Chopin

Polonaise in C Minor Op. 40 No. 2

Polonaise in A Op. 40 No. 1

Waltz in A Minor Op. 34 No. 2

Waltz in A Flat Op. 34 No. 1

About Viv McLean

Described by Le Monde as "possessing the genius one finds in those who know how to forget themselves", since winning First Prize at the Maria Canals Piano Competition in Barcelona, British pianist Viv McLean has performed in all the major venues in the UK as well as throughout Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA. Viv’s concerto work includes appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva, Orchestra of the Swan, Orchestra of St John’s, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of such conductors as Daniel Harding, John Wilson, Wayne Marshall, John Lubbock, Christopher Warren-Green, Anthony Inglis, Owain Arwell Hughes, Philip Hesketh, David Charles Abell, Stephen Bell, Carl Davis, Rebecca Miller, Chloe Van Soederstede and Marvin Hamlisch. Recent concerto highlights include Mozart K467 with the ECO at the Royal Festival Hall, Grieg with the LPO at the Barbican, Rachmaninov’s 3rd Concerto with the RPO in Cambridge, Gershwin, Bernstein, de Falla and Ravel with the Hallé at the Bridgewater Hall, The Sage Gateshead and other venues in the North of England, and Beethoven's 5th Concerto with the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall.

Description supplied by the event organiser.