Concerts with works by

Frédéric Chopin

Festival Élite 2025 – Dominic Chamot

Festival Élite 2025 – Kazumitsu UJIZAWA

Leif Ove Andsnes

The 24 preludes completed by Chopin during the notorious winter he spent on Mallorca with his lover George Sand, are some of the most demanding pieces a pianist can tackle. The range is enormous, from small and short simple pieces to brutal outbursts and virtuosic explosions. The famous Raindrop Prelude No. 15 is said to be inspired by the perpetual raining on the island.Norwegian Leif Ove Andsnes, one of the world's most acclaimed pianists, begins his recital with his compatriot Edvard Grieg's piano sonata, written three years before the famous piano concerto. And there are similarities: romantically flowing melodies and glimpses of Norwegian folk music. Grieg has also, like Bach and Shostakovich, embedded himself in the music: the first three notes are e, h, g – the initials of his name Edvard Hagerup Grieg.Between Grieg and Chopin, Andsnes performs music by another compatriot, Geirr Tveitt (1908–81). He was a concert pianist himself, and his both powerful and sometimes meditative music is often inspired by folk music from Hardanger Valley.

Classical Highlights: Piano Classics by David Kadouch

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Chopin Piano

Yokohama-born Sachiko Furuhata debuted at Carnegie Hall in November 2017 to a standing ovation. She has since performed at major venues such as San Francisco's Herbst Theatre, Edinburgh's Usher Hall, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Berlin Philharmonic, and Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie. She has played with orchestras like the Russian State Philharmonic and German Radio Philharmonic. She is a popular and sought-after pianist in Europe.

Olga Pashchenko | Concerto Köln | Harry Ogg

Leipzig was a musical hotspot in the 19th century, attracting prominent composers like Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Pianist Olga Pashchenko and Concerto Köln explore the city's musical past, tracing connections between Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and Clara Wieck. Chopin also visited, praising Clara's piano playing and enjoying Schumann's hospitality.

Lucas Debargue

With a nod to the prelude and variation forms—a fondness for which Beethoven and Chopin share with Fauré—fellow pianist and composer Lucas Debargue gathers this trio of keyboard geniuses in a programme boasting two major sonatas as its main act.

Secrets d’instrument

Mikhail Pletnev

Guest performance Chopin Gala Concert

Discover Talent: Roman Fediurko / Piano Recital

The name Roman Fediurko is one to remember: at the beginning of 2023, the then 18-year-old won first prize and the audience prize at the Düsseldorf Robert Schumann Competition – by no means his first victory at a prestigious competition. His nuanced playing and interpretative maturity, which is far ahead of his age, were particularly impressive. The young Ukrainian has been studying with Milana Chernyavska in Graz since 2021 – as has his younger brother Oleksandr, with whom he presents captivating four-hand arrangements of works that are not typical for the piano, such as Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango, on a CD and in concert. This stylistic diversity and chamber music flair also characterise Roman Fediurko’s performance in »Discover Talent«: alongside piano classics such as works by Mozart, Rachmaninov, Chopin and Beethoven, he presents preludes by his compatriot Lewko Rewutzkyi – a tribute to the rich culture of his war-torn homeland.

Guest performance

Khatia Buniatishvili

The fiery pianist Khatia Buniatishvili possesses not only talent but also the rare gift of charisma. At ease in the spotlight, her exuberance, showmanship and communication skills have won her a wide audience.

My Bloody Valentine

From a recital by an Aphrodite on the eve of Valentine’s Day, one might expect a classic ode to romantic love, but singer Aphrodite Patoulidou has something else in mind.

Festival Élite 2025 – Dominic Chamot

Sachiko Furuhata / Piano Recital

Yokohama-born Sachiko Furuhata made her debut in 2017 at Carnegie Hall New York to standing ovations. Since then, she has made guest appearances at various major concert halls such as the San Francisco Herbst Theatre, the Edinburgh Usher Hall, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Berlin Philharmonie and the Hamburg Laeiszhalle. As a soloist she has played with orchestras such as the Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra or the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

Yoav Levanon, piano

Yoav Levanon is an extremely young specialist in the entire virtuoso piano repertoire: in the 2023/24 season, he debuted at the Elbphilharmonie with no lesser work than the monumental Sonata in B minor by Franz Liszt. The 20-year-old Israeli now builds on this great success with a technically challenging programme, at whose heart is again a magnum opus by Liszt. The »Études d’exécution transcendante« can logically be translated as »cross-border studies« and thereby Franz Liszt chose an eminently suitable name for these twelve short pieces. They are not strictly speaking studies, which practise a particular playing technique, but in fact character pieces, which in each case circle around a poetic idea. Be it a wild death ride in »Mazeppa« or whirring wills o’ the wisp in »Feux follets« – Franz Liszt, known as the piano equivalent of the devil’s violinist Paganini, composed this music for himself using a lot of finger-breaking refinements on the body. Yoav Levanon, whom Warner Classics contracted as an exclusive artist at just 17 years old, begins the first half of this concert with two romantically dreamy Bach arrangements for grand piano. The following studies by Frédéric Chopin are also far more than mere technical exercises, Robert Schumann even described the first of them as »more a poem than a study« – no wonder when you consider that Chopin dedicated this cycle with twelve pieces to his mistress Marie d’Agoult.

Mikhail Pletnev / Piano Recital

A pure Chopin evening with one of the world’s most famous pianists: Mikhail Pletnev, the former winner of the renowned Tchaikovsky Competition at the age of 21, makes his an appearance at the Elbphilharmonie’s Grand Hall. With polonaises and nocturnes, the programme is both dance-like and lyrical and tailored to Pletnev’s wide range of expression and phenomenal virtuosity.

Louis Lortie

Across a single evening the Chopin pianist par excellence revisits the complete Chopin Études – a set of ground-breaking, multi-faceted works.

Guest performance

Guest performance

Salon Chopin

For this intimate, salon-like performance, Quatuor Cambini-Paris—dedicated to the classical and Romantic repertoires on period instruments—joins forces with pianist David Lively. Together they interpret the chamber version of Chopin's Concerto No. 2.

Lucas Chiche – Récital Piano

Martín García García: Albéniz | Chopin | Mompou

Fliege, kleines Handtuch und Glücksbringer-Kette – mit diesen drei Accessoires betritt Martín García García in aller Regel die Bühne. Am Klavier möchte er dann nur noch »den Moment genießen« – gute Voraussetzungen für einen unvergesslichen Konzertabend. Martín García García hat in Gijon mit fünf Jahren mit dem Klavierspielen begonnen – nachdem er seinem älteren Bruder jeden Tag beim Üben zugehört hatte. Zu seinen späteren Vorbildern zählt er Jerome Rose, bei dem er schließlich in New York studiert hat. In der Kölner Philharmonie präsentiert García Musik, die sein bisheriges Leben geprägt hat. Mit Werken von Frédéric Chopin hat er sich 2019 beim Klavierwettbewerb von Warschau auszeichnen können. Federico Mompou und Isaac Albéniz stammen aus seiner spanischen Heimat.

Pianist Series: Alexander Gavrylyuk

The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!

Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Amsterdam Sinfonietta brings together 23 gifted chamber musicians, embodying ensemble-playing at the highest level. Led by artistic director Candida Thompson, the orchestra tours the world with adventurous programmes and crossovers with other music genres and art forms. Nostalgia for Italy runs through this evening: „The sun shines in all its splendour… at last, I feel a magical change within me,“ Tchaikovsky wrote while visiting the Italian city of Florence. „Souvenir de Florence“ is a tribute to the city he adored, music brimming over with love and joy. The young pianist Bruce Liu, who won first prize at the Chopin Competition in 2021, makes his debut with Amsterdam Sinfonietta, performing works by Chopin – his second piano concerto and the virtuosic Polonaise brillante – both in versions for piano and string orchestra.

Festival Élite 2025 – Kazumitsu UJIZAWA

Lang Lang

Lang Lang makes a bold return, with a programme demanding nothing less than his full powers—from the grace of Fauré, to the moody visions of Schumann, to the alternately delicate and vigorous sensibility of Chopin.

Bruce Liu

Sein Chopin klingt wie eine eigene Sprache – universell verständlich und individuell berührend zugleich: Bruce Liu gehört aktuell zu den besten Interpreten des feinsinnigen Komponisten.Mandarin, Französisch, Englisch? Für Bruce Liu nur eine Frage des Gegenübers – in allen drei Sprachen unterhält sich der in Paris geborene Kanadier mit chinesischen Wurzeln gleichermaßen gewandt. Doch sein bestes Ausdrucksmittel ist zweifelsohne die Musik. Seit dem ersten Platz beim Chopin-Wettbewerb 2021 erreicht der junge Pianist mit seinem feinsinnigen Spiel Musikbegeisterte. Sein Chopin klingt wie eine eigene Sprache – universell verständlich und individuell berührend zugleich.

Bruce Liu / Amsterdam Sinfonietta / Candida Thompson

Mandarin, French, English? For Bruce Liu, it’s just a question for the other person – the Paris-born Canadian with Chinese roots is equally fluent in all three languages. But his best means of expression is undoubtedly music. Since winning first place at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2021, the young pianist has been attracting crowds of new listeners with his subtle and unpretentious playing. Deutsche Grammophon hired him straight away as an exclusive artist and the doors of the great classical temples suddenly opened for the piano student, who has since surpassed the great promise that comes with such a competition win. His Chopin sounds like a language of its own – universally understandable and individually moving at the same time!

Ein Klavierabend an zwei Flügeln