An Evening at the National Library of Scotland

On 10 October 2018, the Board Room of the National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge in Edinburgh became the setting for an intimate and deeply emotional encounter with the music of Frédéric Chopin and the story of his remarkable Scottish patron, Jane Wilhelmina Stirling.

At the piano was Anna Dębowska, whose refined and expressive playing guided the audience through a carefully curated selection of Chopin’s works. Her performance included such masterpieces as the Nocturne No. 2 in D-flat major op. 27, the Nocturne in C-sharp minor op. posth., the famous “Raindrop” Prelude No. 15 in D-flat major op. 28, and the darkly poetic Prelude No. 20 in C minor op. 28. The programme also featured the Mazurka No. 1 in B-flat major op. 7 and the Nocturnes op. 55, including the Nocturne No. 2 in E-flat major, two of the works that Chopin dedicated to Jane Stirling herself.

„The event reminded us that Chopin’s experience in Scotland was not the typical cultural tour that might be expected, demonstrating that there was more complexity and contingency to the story of Romanticism and Scotland than is suggested in the distilled version that has come down to us today.” 

Dr Stuart Allan
Keeper of Scottish History & Archaeology, National Museums Scotland

Alongside Anna’s playing, Marcin Jaroszek provided narration that framed the music within a compelling biographical and historical story. Under the title “An Evening with Jane Stirling”, the event wove together themes of love, devotion, disillusionment and unwavering respect for Chopin – a somewhat whimsical Romantic genius whose fragile health and complex character made him both admired and difficult to reach.

Through words and music, the evening told the story of Jane Stirling, a woman who gave so much and received so little recognition in return: a patron, organiser, and loyal friend, whose efforts helped support Chopin in his final years and brought him to Britain. Her story, long overshadowed and almost dormant for nearly two centuries, was gently brought back into the light.

In the warm, reflective atmosphere of the National Library of Scotland, Anna Dębowska’s interpretations and Marcin Jaroszek’s narration combined to create more than a recital: it was the unfolding of a forgotten chapter of Romantic history – and the beginning of a renewed appreciation of Jane Stirling’s quiet but vital place within it.

National Library of Scotland, Board Room, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

Anna Dębowska: piano
Marcin Jaroszek: narration

Time: 10 October 2018, 5.30 p.m

Programme: