Recorded at the prestigious Poznan Philharmonic Concert Hall, this concert brings together three major figures of Polish music history. The Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra performs under the baton of Lukasz Borowicz, with celebrated pianist Alim Beisembayev as soloist. The programme opens with Stanislaw Moniuszko’s Overture to the opera Halka, one of the key works of Poland’s national operatic tradition. This is followed by Mieczyslaw Karlowicz’s Eternal Songs, Op. 10, a richly atmospheric symphonic poem and a landmark of the Polish late-Romantic repertoire. The centrepiece of the evening is Fryderyk Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, a celebrated concerto that combines virtuosic brilliance with lyrical intimacy, placing the solo piano at the heart of an evocative orchestral setting.
Lucerne Festival 2026: Riccardo Chailly & Lukas Sternath
A program of rich colors and late-Romantic intensity unfolds as Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra open the evening with Scriabin’s shimmering Rêverie, a brief yet atmospheric sound vision. Rising star Lukas Sternath then performs Sergei Rachmaninoff’s rarely heard Piano Concerto No. 4, presented in the composer’s 1941 revision, where virtuosity, modern clarity, and lyrical depth find a remarkable balance. After the interval, the orchestra explores the dramatic world of Rachmaninoff’s opera Aleko through a selection of orchestral scenes full of passion, contrast, and dance. The concert concludes with Ottorino Respighi’s brilliant orchestrations of Rachmaninoff’s Cinq Études-Tableaux, transforming the piano pieces into vivid symphonic landscapes.
Lucerne Festival 2026: Opening Concert with Riccardo Chailly
The Lucerne Festival launches its 2026 summer season with a program celebrating the breadth of American music. Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra pair the vibrant sound world of George Gershwin with the early symphonic voice of Charles Ives. Gershwin’s Cuban Overture sets a spirited opening, alive with rhythmic drive and Caribbean color. Pianist Frank Dupree then brings his versatility to the Concerto in F major, where Gershwin seamlessly fuses the pulse of jazz with classical structure, culminating in a sparkling, high-energy finale. After the interval comes a shift in tone with Ives’s Symphony No. 1 in D minor, a work rooted in the late-Romantic tradition yet already hinting at the originality that would define his later music. Its lush orchestral writing and subtle surprises offer a compelling counterpart to Gershwin’s urban flair. Together, these works form an opening night that blends vitality, virtuosity, and the spirit of discovery—an ideal start to the Festival’s summer season.
Martha Argerich, Silvain Cambreling & Symphoniker Hamburg
She is a legendary pianist, a ‘lioness at the piano’, renowned for her spirited playing: Martha Argerich is the protagonist of the ‘Martha Argerich Festival’, named after her, which will took place for the eighth time in 2026. Alongside conductor Sylvain Cambreling and the Symphoniker Hamburg, Argerich presents a programme focused on dialogue. The first part highlights one of the most beloved piano concertos of all time, the Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major by Beethoven. In the second, the orchestra showcases the full range of its sound with the Concerto for Orchestra by Bartók, a work where each instrumental section has the chance to show its virtuosity.
The Acropolis Open-Air with Lukas Sternath
Written during the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars, Beethoven’s fifth and final piano concerto is both epic and moving. Young Austrian pianist Lukas Sternath plays as soloist with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, conducted by Constantinos Carydis. The programme continues with a selection from Skalkottas’ 36 Greek Dances, composed between 1931 and 1936, to go back to Austrian classicism, with Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 and the elegant and graceful ballet from the opera Idomeneo. The concert took place in Athens, with a view of the ancient Acropolis.
Tonhalle Orchester – Paavo Järvi & Hélène Grimaud
Almost twenty years ago, Hélène Grimaud recorded Gershwin’s Piano Concerto on CD in Baltimore under the direction of our Honorary President David Zinman. Now she is bringing it to the Tonhalle Zurich – together with Paavo Järvi, who, as a jazz lover, also has a special relationship with this work. He will also conduct a suite from Janácek’s opera “The Cunning Little Vixen” and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5: the latter is a work for connoisseurs, says Paavo Järvi, “but perhaps that is precisely why it is also one for everyone”. What is certain is that this music has found its way into pop in very different ways: the swan call motif in particular has been quoted by bands such as The Murmaids, The First Class and Play People.
Martha Argerich & Lahav Shani at Aix-en-Provence Spring Festival
Martha Argerich and Lahav Shani have shared the stage many times in recent years, as Shani often invites the Argentinian piano legend to play with the various ensembles he directs. Shani is indeed a multitalented artist as he began performing as a double bass player and soon became a piano soloist before eventually becoming a conductor with support from Daniel Barenboim, one of Martha Argerich’s closest friends. Shani leads his “new” orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, this year’s resident orchestra. After performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 last year, Martha Argerich turns her attentions to his Piano Concerto No. 2, a piece she loves just as much.
Elim Chan, Augustin Hadelich & Münchner Philharmoniker
With acclaimed debuts at the Vienna Musikverein, the Salzburg Festival and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Elim Chan is one of the most sought-after artists of her generation. For her debut with the Munich Philharmonic, the young rising star is joined by Augustin Hadelich, an artist who has long been counted amongst the most successful in his field. Alongside Tchaikovsky’s famous Violin Concerto and the finely nuanced music of Noriko Koide, the programme features Edward Elgar’s ‘Enigma Variations’.
Salzburg Festival 2026: Hadelich, Thielemann and the Wiener Philharmoniker (Brahms Cycle)
Augustin Hadelich, renowned as one of the foremost violinists of his generation, takes the stage of the Salzburg Festival with conductor Christian Thielemann, as part of the Wiener Philharmoniker’s Brahms Cycle. The concert begins with Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major, a masterpiece that combines lyrical warmth with a symphonic scale, requiring a delicate balance of poetic intimacy and heroic command. These are qualities that Hadelich possesses in rare abundance, allowing him to interpret the piece with exceptional depth and sensitivity. Brahms’s monumental First Symphony in C minor represents Brahms’s hard-won triumph over the daunting legacy of Beethoven, skillfully transitioning from a mood of brooding darkness to a radiant, hymn-like finale that is celebrated for its unforgettable expressive depth and emotional resonance. PROGRAM: Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major; Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor
Salzburg Festival 2026: Lang Lang, Sokhiev and the Wiener Philharmoniker
ang Lang, one of the most celebrated pianists of our time, joins forces with the Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Tugan Sokhiev for an evening of extraordinary orchestral colour and virtuosity. The programme opens with Ravel’s effervescent Piano Concerto in G major — a work whose jazz-inflected brilliance and lyrical slow movement offer the ideal canvas for Lang Lang’s dazzling technique and poetic sensitivity. After the interval, Sokhiev leads the Wiener Philharmoniker through two masterpieces of orchestral imagination: Debussy’s shimmering triptych La Mer, with its luminous evocations of the sea in all its moods, followed by Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet suite — assembled by Sokhiev himself — whose dramatic sweep and heartbreaking tenderness bring Shakespeare’s tragedy vividly to life in sound. PROGRAM: Ravel: Piano Concerto in G majo; Debussy: La Mer; Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet