A luminary of the Parisian musical establishment as composer, pianist and teacher, Louise Farrenc won the admiration of her contemporaries, not least Robert Schumann. Her Rondos were composed within the period of a decade and are delicious examples of her art – graceful, elegant and expressive. Some of them are based on operatic themes or on songs, while others are simpler and intended for younger performers. ‘Maria Stratigou has a full mastery of Farrenc’s romantic style and a technique to match’, wrote American Record Guide of the first volume in this acclaimed series (GP91213).

Dr Maria Stratigou studied at the Conservatory of Athens, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Northern College of Music, where she completed her PhD Performance Aspects of Louise Farrenc’s Piano Études. She is currently a teaching associate (Performance) at the University of Sheffield. Stratigou has given lecture-recitals and paper presentations at numerous international conferences on this subject. She has performed across Europe and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the ‘Eleni Tim. Mykoniou’ Prize for Piano (Academy of Athens, 2013) and First Prizes at the Jock Holden Memorial Mozart Piano Prize Competition at the RCS (2008) and various Panhellenic piano competitions.