The Stirlings’ Reunion

On 26 October 2018, after nearly a century, the family of Jane Stirling was symbolically reunited with one of the most precious witnesses of her friendship with Frédéric Chopin – the Pleyel grand piano No. 13823. This instrument once belonged to Jane Stirling and was played by Chopin himself during his visit to Scotland in 1848.

The piano’s journey is as remarkable as its sound. It was acquired by Edouard Ganche from Anne Houston, who had inherited the Chopin-related materials still kept in Scotland. Today, the grand stands in the Green Room of the Collegium Maius in Kraków, bearing a dated signature on its frame: “Fr. Chopin 15 novembre 1848”. This inscription suggests that Chopin still had this very instrument with him just one day before his last public performance at Guildhall in London.

The 2018 reunion was organised by the Jane Stirling Project, in which Anna Dębowska has been artistically involved since 2016. Among those present in the Green Room were Patrick Stirling-Aird and Susan Stirling-Aird of Kippenross, Henrietta Somervell, Jane Stirling’s great-great niece, as well as Prof. Krzysztof Stopka, head of the Jagiellonian University Museum. Their presence gave the occasion a deeply personal, family dimension, connecting Chopin’s world with its living descendants and custodians.

To honour this encounter between history, heritage and memory, Anna Dębowska performed a Chopin’s music exclusively on Jane Stirling’s Pleyel grand piano for the distinguished guests. In that intimate setting, the sound of Chopin’s music returning to “his” instrument created a moment of rare continuity – uniting 19th-century Romantic culture with its 21st-century interpreters and heirs.