The Piano in the Spotlight!
Dear Public,
Each summer, the piano takes centre stage at the Verbier Festival, brought to life by artists from diverse backgrounds and musical sensibilities. In recital, concerto or chamber music, more than twenty master pianists will breathe life into the great works of the repertoire, while also opening the door to new musical discoveries.
This week, we invite you to enjoy a first immersion into the worlds of ten pianists from the upcoming edition. More outstanding artists will be revealed very soon.
The Verbier Festival Team.
Lucas Debargue
Fri. 17.07 | Mon. 20.07
Revealed at the 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition and “whose unique talent, creative freedom and beauty of interpretation have impressed both audiences and critics,” Lucas Debargue continues to amaze with his bold and imaginative repertoire choices. On 17 July, he joins Esa-Pekka Salonen for Messiaen’s monumental Turangalîla-Symphony, before returning on 20 July with pieces by Gershwin, including one of his own arrangements of Summertime, as well as Beethoven’s iconic Moonlight Sonata.
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Julien Quentin
Sat. 18.07 | Sun. 19.07 | Sun. 26.07 | Mon. 27.07 | Thu. 30.07 | Fri. 31.07
Julien Quentin is a French pianist of international standing, acclaimed for his remarkable musical maturity, which makes him a highly sought-after partner in chamber music. It is in this repertoire that he will give eight concerts this summer, performing alongside artists such as Daniel Lozakovich, Marc Bouchkov and Augustin Dumay in programmes that explore the richness of the repertoire, from Romanticism to 20th-century pieces.
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Richard Goode
Sat. 18.07 | Mon. 20.07
The first American pianist to record the complete cycle of Beethoven’s sonatas, the legendary musician returns on 18 July with a programme devoted to Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and Schoenberg. Richard Goode then joins violinist Joshua Bell and cellist Steven Isserlis for an exceptional trio performance of Schumann’s magnificent Piano Trio No. 1. The pianist will also give no fewer than four masterclasses this summer!
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Kirill Gerstein
Mon. 20.07 | Sat. 25.07 | Tue. 28.07
The Observer describes his playing as “the kind of demanding, intelligent and virtuosic music that keeps classical music alive.” On 20 July, join Kirill Gerstein for Rachmaninoff’s demanding Piano Concerto No. 3, conducted by Simon Rattle. He appears for the first time in Verbier with Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider on 25 July in a programme for piano and violin featuring works by Brahms and Kreisler. On 28 July, the gravity and wit of Thomas Quasthoff meet Kirill Gerstein’s fiery, tragic touch in Ullmann’s deeply moving Melodrama, composed in July 1944 shortly before the composer’s deportation.
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Evgeny Kissin
Sun. 19.07 | Tue. 28.07
Evgeny Kissin burst onto the international stage at a very young age and has, over the decades, established himself as one of the leading voices of piano music. Also a writer and poet, his reputation rests on extraordinary virtuosity, unparalleled expressive power and a deep respect for the musical text. A long-standing and cherished presence at the Verbier Festival (he was just 22 at his first Verbier recital in 1994), the pianist returns this summer with a recital pairing Chopin and Liszt with Beethoven’s Seventh Sonata and Schumann’s spellbinding Kreisleriana. On 28 July, he is joined by another piano legend, András Schiff, for a programme ranging from Mozart to Dvořák, including excerpts from the Slavonic Dances, Schumann’s Bilder aus Osten and Smetana’s Vltava. Featuring works rarely heard in concert, this promises to be one of the major highlights of the 2026 edition.
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Nikolai Lugansky
Mon. 20.07 | Mon. 27.07
A master of the Russian repertoire and late Romanticism, Nikolai Lugansky is widely acclaimed for his interpretations of Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Chopin. He returns to Verbier on 20 July in Brahms’s celebrated Piano Quintet, alongside Marc Bouchkov, Stephen Waarts, Blythe Teh Engstroem and Mischa Maisky. On 27 July, Lugansky celebrates the Romantic repertoire in a recital opening with three of Chopin’s Impromptus and Schumann’s feverish Humoresque, followed by Chopin’s 24 Preludes. A programme promising emotion, depth and sincerity.
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Mao Fujita
Tue. 21.07 | Wed. 22.07 | Fri. 24.07
In 2024, Mao Fujita captivated audiences by improvising an entire solo programme at the last minute when his sonata partner fell ill. The young pianist has already impressed many leading musicians, equally at ease in Mozart as in the great Romantic repertoire. This summer, he will showcase his versatility, first with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, highlighting Mozart’s Ah ! vous dirai‑je, Maman in its piano-and-orchestra version, and then in chamber music, notably alongside Leonidas Kavakos on 24 July in a programme blending Mozart, Brahms and Schubert.
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Martha Argerich
Tue. 21.07 | Thu. 23.07
A legendary pianist in every sense, Martha Argerich needs no introduction and is widely regarded as one of the greatest living interpreters, celebrated for her dazzling virtuosity. Beyond her solo career, she has left a profound mark on chamber music, regularly collaborating with partners such as Mischa Maisky, whom she reunites with this summer in Verbier, alongside Janine Jansen. She will also perform with Alexandre Kantorow and Magdalena Kožená — two concerts that are already sold out. Join the waiting list now!
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Alexandre Kantorow
Tue. 21.07 | Tue. 28.07 | Thu. 30.07 | Sun. 02.08
Already hailed by critics as the “reincarnation of Liszt” (Fanfare), Alexandre Kantorow is a central figure at the Verbier Festival. He returns on 28 July alongside Leonidas Kavakos, before presenting a captivating recital on 30 July featuring Chopin, Beethoven and Medtner. Kantorow will also take centre stage at the closing concert on 2 August for Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto, a work that has become one of his signature pieces since his triumph with it at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019.
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Khatia Buniatishvili
Wed. 22.07
Khatia Buniatishvili is a French-Georgian pianist whose dazzling virtuosity, rich tone and magnetic stage presence make her one of today’s most compelling piano artists. She began piano at the age of three and gave her first concert with the Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra at just six. She returns to Verbier on 22 July, with a programme featuring Satie’s famous Gymnopédie No. 1, Couperin’s Les Barricades mystérieuses, and Schubert’s Serenade in D minor (after Ständchen). From Bach to Liszt, including his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, and Chopin, embark on a musical journey through the ages for a truly timeless experience.
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