PIANISTS Alexander Melnikov and Alasdair Beatson join together to form a duo and perform Schubert’s popular Fantasy in F minor, D940 as part of Leeds International Chamber Series 2016/17: Breaking Boundaries at The Venue, Leeds College of Music on Tuesday, February 17, 7.30pm.

Alexander Melnikov and Alasdair Beatson also perform Mozart’s Piano Sonata, K497 and Bartók’s Five Pieces from Mikrokosmos VI, taken from a collection of studies inspired by Eastern European and North African rhythms and folk music. The programme also includes Schubert’s Eight Variations on an Original Theme, D813 two expansive works showcasing the piano at the hands of two world class musicians.

Alexander Melnikov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory under Lev Naumov. His most formative musical moments in Moscow include his early encounter with legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter, who thereafter regularly invited him to festivals in Russia and France. As a soloist, Alexander has performed with orchestras including the Russian National Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic and the BBC Philharmonic.

Scottish born Alasdair Beatson has emerged as one of Europe’s most distinctive and compelling voices in the younger generation of pianists and he is in huge demand for chamber music as well as for solo playing. Highlights of 2017 include concerts in London’s Wigmore Hall and Kings Place, and collaborations with Adrian Brendel, Philippe Graffin, the Doric String Quartet, Meta4 and the Nash Ensemble among many.

Tickets to see Alexander Melnikov and Alasdair Beatson are priced at £19.50 & £17.50 (discounts available) and can be purchased from the Box Office on 0113 376 0318 or online at www.leedsconcertseason.com. Fifty percent discounts are available for students, under 18s and unwaged.