When Alexis was driven to school by his father as a child, they would listen to three cassettes on rotation: Elton John’s hits, La Traviata, and Chopin’s two concertos. This is probably the reason he names Chopin’s 1st and 2nd piano concertos as music he continually returns to. A piece of contemporary music he loves is VET by the German composer Martin Kolstedt: “I love it the same way I love most classical pieces. You seem to appreciate it slightly differently every time it plays, and it never tires.”

His favorite venue in London is The Barbican because: “For a modern concert hall, it’s one that is actually pleasing on the eye. And if you tire of endless East London raves, it’s a calmer environment for a similar crowd: young, a bit crazy, but fun. Sign me up.”

Among Alexis’ most memorable concerts is a performance of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony at Printworks: “Just imagine walking around the musicians, watching how they play, being able to talk, relax, or enjoy the music whichever way you wanted. That was just epic.”

A tip: “If you are new to classical music, you are likely to not appreciate the difference between the best piano player in the world, and number 22. Therefore, do not attend based on the performer’s repute, in fact avoid those that will cost you double (Kissin, Lang Lang, Katia Buniatishvili etc). Instead, focus on the pieces, and the right proximity to the stage. Depending on how you feel you may want to zoom out at row 18, or you may just want to be buzzing on row 2. I feel people don’t think about this enough.”