ZIYU SHAO

It was like an apparition: at 16, Tianyao Lyu became one of the youngest finalists in the prestigious Chopin Competition, drawing the attention of audiences and critics alike, and also winning the prize for the best concerto performance. Now an exclusive artist with a major record label, the Chinese-born pianist presents a recital that showcases her composer of choice, Frédéric Chopin.

Marc-André Hamelin is a visionary pianist. A long-standing pioneer, he has devoted much of his career to the rarities of the repertoire (Godowsky, Alkan, Liszt’s paraphrases…) while offering personal readings of celebrated landmarks of the piano. In recital, Hamelin reveals the quintessence of his gifts.

Present since the very first edition in 1994, Evgeny Kissin has grown and flourished at the Festival, becoming one of the most extraordinary musicians of our time. For the bicentenary of the German composer’s death, the celebrated pianist presents an unforgettable panorama of Beethoven’s music, from the first Viennese sonata to the pivotal No. 13, through to the late Diabelli Variations.

At 19, Alexandra Dovgan is already a piano sensation. Encouraged by Grigory Sokolov, showered with superlatives since her debut as a child prodigy at 5, the new star of the Russian piano school astonishes with her intellectual maturity. This morning, Dovgan takes on Beethoven’s monumental ‘Hammerklavier’ (50 minutes of supreme difficulty), to which (for good measure) she adds two of Chopin’s most beautiful nocturnes and Rachmaninoff’s impressive Sonata No. 2. Gripping!

A flamboyant heir to the Russian piano school, Nikolaï Lugansky has no equal in illuminating the works of Beethoven, of whom he is one of the foremost interpreters. Under his fluid fingers, the German composer’s works carry an ever-present urgency, combining strength and suppleness. Likewise, his mellow sound is ideally suited to the music of Schumann, of whom he performs two works directly rooted in Beethoven’s legacy.

In just a handful of editions, Yunchan Lim has won over the Verbier Festival. A true star in his home country (on a par with some pop singers), the Korean pianist reveals all of Mozart’s humanity in this recital devoted to the music of a composer who loved to confide his secrets to the keyboard.

Daniil Trifonov is no ordinary pianist. Since 2011 (the year he won in quick succession the prestigious Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky Competitions), the musical world has followed his brilliant solo career with admiration. Deeply personal, his recital combines the figure of the Wanderer with his love of South American music.