Royal Mile International Piano Series - The Beethoven Sonatas

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 and other works, 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 Matthew McLachlan

Programme Beethoven — Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 1 Beethoven — Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major, Op. 78, 'À Thérèse' Chopin — Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49 Chopin — Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31 Chopin — Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

About Matthew McLachlan Matthew was born in 2000 and started piano lessons with his father in 2008. At 11 years of age he passed grade 8 and entered Wells Cathedral School as a specialist musician, studying with John Byrne. After two years in Somerset he entered Chetham’s in Manchester where he studied piano with Dina Parakhina and Cello with Gill Thoday. After gaining the ATCL and LTCL recital diplomas with distinction in 2014 and 2015, Matthew was awarded the FTCL in 2016. This followed on from winning third prize in the senior division of the first Scottish International Youth Prize Competition, held at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in July 2016. In 2014 Matthew’s performance of Ravel’s G Major Piano Concerto was commended in the Chetham’s Concerto competition and in the same year he was a prizewinner at the 2014 Mazovia Chopin Festival in Poland. As a result of his performance in Mazovia, he was selected to perform a 60-minute solo recital at the 2015 World Piano Teachers’ Conference (WPTC) in Novi Sad, Serbia.