Lukas Sternath

Lukas Sternath

Lukas Sternath, piano

In 2025, giving the closing concert of the Rising Stars Festival and thereby bringing a crowning finale to a whole week of concerts by the most exciting young stars of the classical music world is the task of a young Viennese musician at his peak. Since Lukas Sternath discovered his love of music as a member of the Vienna Boys Choir, he soon arrived at the piano and so on the path to success. At the ARD International Music Competition in 2022, he did not just achieve first prize, but was also awarded with seven special prizes – unique in the history of the prestigious competition! He has since studied with Igor Levit and provides his recital with a challenging programme for the piano. Sternath goes all out and opens the programme with the »Chaconne« by Sofia Gubaidulina – a highly concentrated piece which evokes the spirit of Johann Sebastian Bach in a modern tonal language. Sternath does not seem to want to indulge in breaks and proceeds with the Handel variations by Johannes Brahms. He made a joke out of taking an artlessly dancing topic as the starting point of an absurdly virtuoso work. PatKop, as star violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja calls herself when she composes, writes the work commissioned for Lukas Sternath’s Rising Star concerts. Her works are consequently just as full of surprises as are her unconventional interpretations of other composers. With Franz Liszt’s legendary Sonata in B minor, the evening finds its brilliant end point with another pinnacle of the piano repertoire.

Andrew Manze, Lukas Sternath

»My career feels a bit like the history of conducting: from a standing violinist to concertmaster and eventually with just a baton in my hand.« Andrew Manze was a celebrated baroque violinist in the early music scene for a long time, then decided in favour of the conductor’s podium – and is now also passionately immersing himself in the great romantic scores. He fell in love with music and his current profession at an early age: as a child, he simply plucked a branch from his parents’ garden and swung it to symphonies from the radio. Today, our guest conductor is known as a creative free spirit and exudes a lot of British charm. We are pleased that he is once again conducting one of his favourite programmes with us: Grieg wrote his famous piano concerto in 1868 as a newlywed – a very vivacious piece with memorable melodies and typical Norwegian rhythms, for which we welcome the young artist Lukas Sternath as soloist. There is also the colourful and compelling work »Transit Underground« by Swedish composer Tobias Broström, born in 1978. We will conclude with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, which he began in the middle of the First World War. It nevertheless carries a largely optimistic tone in a sea full of superb soundscapes – including the »swan theme«, sounding like film music. It will be a thrilling musical experience with Andrew Manze, because his overflowing joy in the compositions is inspiring and his impulses spark new ways of playing – and when everything works together in harmony, he is happy: »For me, the act of making music is everything. I love the magic when musicians come together, think about music and then something fantastic emerges.«

Andrew Manze, Lukas Sternath

»My career feels a bit like the history of conducting: from a standing violinist to concertmaster and eventually with just a baton in my hand.« Andrew Manze was a celebrated baroque violinist in the early music scene for a long time, then decided in favour of the conductor’s podium – and is now also passionately immersing himself in the great romantic scores. He fell in love with music and his current profession at an early age: as a child, he simply plucked a branch from his parents’ garden and swung it to symphonies from the radio. Today, our guest conductor is known as a creative free spirit and exudes a lot of British charm. We are pleased that he is once again conducting one of his favourite programmes with us: Grieg wrote his famous piano concerto in 1868 as a newlywed – a very vivacious piece with memorable melodies and typical Norwegian rhythms, for which we welcome the young artist Lukas Sternath as soloist. There is also the colourful and compelling work »Transit Underground« by Swedish composer Tobias Broström, born in 1978. We will conclude with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, which he began in the middle of the First World War. It nevertheless carries a largely optimistic tone in a sea full of superb soundscapes – including the »swan theme«, sounding like film music. It will be a thrilling musical experience with Andrew Manze, because his overflowing joy in the compositions is inspiring and his impulses spark new ways of playing – and when everything works together in harmony, he is happy: »For me, the act of making music is everything. I love the magic when musicians come together, think about music and then something fantastic emerges.«

Rising Star: Lukas Sternath

Lukas Sternath, born in 2001, began his career as a Vienna Boys' Choir member before studying piano in Vienna and Hanover under Igor Levit. He won first prize and seven special awards at the 2022 ARD Music Competition. He has performed at prestigious venues like Vienna's Musikverein and Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie. As a Rising Star, he returns to Cologne's Philharmonie for a solo recital, featuring Liszt's challenging sonata.

Rising Stars: Lukas Sternath

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!

Insight Piano with Lukas Sternath

Be it a piano recital, lieder recital, piano trio or piano concerto – as soon as a concert grand is involved, one thing is essential: tuning the piano’s strings. When the instruments have been tuned correctly, you only perceive this consciously in the rarest cases. But even the minutest imperfection can turn the long-awaited musical experience into an acoustic nightmare. That this is not the case in the professional music business is thanks to outstanding piano tuners who fine tune the 88 keys of a concert grand before each concert. At »Insight Piano«, Simon Rempe, master piano builder at Steinway & Sons, and the pianist Lukas Sternath, reveal the things you have to pay special attention to when tuning, and explain why different pianists have different preferences. The event starts at 18:00 with a tour of the Steinway & Sons production halls. Then, following a short break with cool drinks, Simon Rempe and Lukas Sternath share fascinating insights into the collaboration between piano builders and pianists.

Lukas Sternath spielt Schuberts "Wanderer­fantasie"

Lukas Sternath, a young Viennese pianist, won the prestigious ARD Music Competition in 2022 despite a broken elbow. His teacher, Igor Levit, expressed immense pride in his achievement. Sternath will perform in Essen, playing Schubert's "Wandererfantasie," Liszt's B minor Sonata, and "Négy tárgy" by Márton Illés. A post-concert discussion with Daniel Finkernagel will follow.

Lukas Sternath Schnell und langsam

Alfred Brendel famously wrote about Schubert's sonatas, describing their enigmatic nature. Schubert's last "Grand Sonata" features dreamlike melodies and eerie nuances. Prokofiev's seventh sonata contrasts harsh percussion with a warm "Andante caloroso." Liszt's Petrarch-inspired sonnets offer new soundscapes. Lukas Sternath expertly navigates these diverse musical worlds.