National Gallery piano recital by Adrian Brendle

Part of Summer Music in City Churches: A new festival of beautiful music and words in stunning historic churches, marking one hundred years since the end of the Great War

During the Second World War, pianist Myra Hess had the idea of morale-boosting lunchtime concerts in the National Gallery. Taking place every weekday for six years, throughout even the Blitz, they were an enormous success, attracting and inspiriting many thousands of Londoners. This concert is inspired by the opening performance given by Dame Myra (as she was to become) herself, and features her celebrated arrangement of JS Bach’s Jesu, joy of man’s desiring and Beethoven’s Appassionata sonata – her great stalwart in times of particular trouble.