A young man who is a huge fan of films, literature of all kinds, philosophy and billiards, he sailed through the ARD competition four years ago, winning eight prizes, including the title of absolute winner. He is currently also the holder of the ECHO Rising Star, a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, the first-ever curator of his own chamber music series at Vienna’s Musikverein, and an increasingly frequent guest at the world’s most prestigious concert halls: London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. He will perform at the Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival on 5 November, presenting a compelling programme of works by Franz Schubert and Franz Liszt, linked by the theme of pilgrimage.

“I feel as though Schubert’s music touches my very heart. I feel a great closeness to him; I understand Schubert’s emotions, including that certain melancholy, which is never overwhelming, but has something gentle about it. A sense of home. When I play Schubert, I feel at home,” says the pianist, who is currently a fan of Albert Camus and whose dream is to organise a global embrace. In June 2026, he captivated the Prague Spring audience not only with his performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto, but also with an encore that hinted his autumn recital would be something truly exceptional. If you’re tempted by our recommendation and would like to come and hear this young man, who is growing into the stature of pianists such as Sviatoslav Richter, Friedrich Gulda or Grigory Sokolov, simply click here.

In Schubert’s works, the traveller is a lonely, wandering outsider trapped within his own inner world. However, the native Viennese’s fascination with the theme of travel may have been driven by a completely different motivation than mere lack of recognition, failing health and Prince Metternich’s repressive regime. For he was, in fact, a passionate traveller!

He left us a detailed travelogue of one of his holiday journeys in 1825 through the Austrian Salzkammergut region in his correspondence with his parents. In one of the letters, he writes: ‘I spent six weeks in Gmunden, whose surroundings are truly divine, and just like its inhabitants – particularly the lovely Traweger – it moved me deeply and did me a world of good.’

Together with his friend, the singer Johann Michael Vogel, they undertook excursions in the surrounding area, went on boat trips and played music practically every day at the home of their host, Ferdinand Traweger. Schubert also worked here on his Great Symphony in C major, which was admired by a number of Czech composers, including Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák and the young Leoš Janáček. It was not performed until eleven years after Schubert’s death, when Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy conducted it with his Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig in 1839.

If you’re an artistic soul, the Salzkammergut is highly recommended. Arnold Schönberg composed his first piece using the dodecaphonic technique here by Lake Traunsee, whilst the area around Lake Attersee was a favourite of Gustav Mahler and Gustav Klimt. So, if you’re looking to compose a symphony or paint a magnificent painting, the Salzkammergut is the perfect destination!

In the house, built in the Louis XV style, Chopin’s room had special soundproof shutters and heavily padded doors so that the maestro could compose undisturbed during the day, whilst George usually slept after a sleepless night. Although he appeared at first glance to be a gentle man, he often succumbed to fits of rage and despair, during which he would throw himself on the floor, scream, tear up his manuscripts, pound the keys and claim that he had no talent and would never compose anything worthwhile.

You can still visit George Sand’s house in Nohant today, where the Polish composer spent some of the happiest years of his life. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be served fresh rolls ‘à la George Sand’.

“Romantic music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries will predominate, including works by Czech masters. The opening concert, bringing together Evgeny Kissin and Sir András Schiff on the same stage, is, in my view, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Personally, I am also very pleased that Grigory Sokolov will be returning, as he comes to the Czech Republic more or less exclusively for the Firkušný Festival,” says the festival’s Artistic Director Josef Třeštík. As for the performers, the festival once again combines established tradition with the energy of young talents. One of the most anticipated events will be the debut of Lukas Sternath, winner of the ARD Competition Munich 2022 and recipient of the ECHO Klassik Award 2024[JR1] , as well as the return of the outstanding pianist Anna Vinnitskaya, whose artistic profile includes appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Czech performing tradition will be represented by Marek Kozák, last year’s laureate of the Bach Competition in Leipzig and recipient of the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize 2025 (his festival debut in 2020 was streamed online). The 14th edition of the Firkušný Festival will conclude in grand style with one of the most original pianists on the planet, Grigory Sokolov, whose programme – as always – remains a closely guarded secret.

Ticket sales for all festival concerts will begin online at firkusny.cz/en/ on Thursday, 19 March at 11 a.m. Until June 4th, tickets are automatically discounted by 20% as part of Early Bird.

May 20 Barbara Hannigan & Bertrand Chamayou | A significant part of Barbara Hannigan’s first residency concert will be devoted to her soprano voice. However, the brilliant French pianist Bertrand Chamayou will also perform two exceptionally beautiful solo piano pieces by the Russian classic Alexander Scriabin.

May 22 American pianist Eric Lu, winner of this year’s Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, will perform compositions by Chopin, Schumann, and Schubert at the Rudolfinum.

May 29 Ensemble Modern I Fans of contemporary music will enjoy the first Prague Offspring concert, which will feature the Double Concerto for Piano, Percussion, and Ensemble by Prague Offspring 2026 resident composer Unsuk Chin. Before the concert, you can meet this world-renowned composer in person at a discussion starting at 6 p.m.

June 1 Argerich & Shani & Rotterdam Philharmonic | The last tickets are available for the concert of world piano legend Martha Argerich with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and conductor Lahav Shani! Martha Argerich returns to Prague Spring after an incredible fifty-two years.é jaro po neuvěřitelných dvaapadesáti letech.

June 3 Lucas & Arthur Jussen | The first concert by today’s most sought-after piano duo with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields is already hopelessly sold out. However, you still have a chance to hear brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen on June 3 in an attractive programme for two pianos and percussion instruments, for which the last tickets are available!

Programme

• Fryderyk Chopin: Prélude in D-flat major Op. 28 No. 15
• Fryderyk Chopin: Prelude in A-flat major B. 86 Op. Posth.
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude No.1 in C major (from Book 1 of Well-Tempered Clavier) BWV 846
• Sergej Rachmaninov: Prelude in D minor Op. 23 No. 3
• Karol Szymanowski: Nine Preludes Op. 1, excerpts
• Olivier Messiaen: Preludes for piano, excerpts
• Fryderyk Chopin: Prelude in C sharp minor Op. 45
• Sergej Rachmaninov: Prelude in C-sharp minor Op. 3 No. 2
• Henryk Mikołaj Górecki: Four Preludes op. 1, excerpts
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude No.2 in C minor (from Book 1 of Well-Tempered Clavier) BWV 847
• Sergej Rachmaninov: Prelude in G minor Op. 23 No. 5
• Fryderyk Chopin: 24 Preludes Op. 28

More information about the concert