Concert Season Great Pianists Opens with Lucas and Arthur Jussen, Krystian Zimerman, Evgeny Kissin and András Schiff

Het Concertgebouw's new piano season opens on Sunday 4 October with a concert by Lucas and Arthur Jussen, featuring a programme ranging from Bach to Gershwin. Two weeks later, Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman presents a distinctive "surprise recital" of 24 pieces to be announced on the night. The third concert brings together an occasional duo of two iconic pianists: Evgeny Kissin and András Schiff, performing together in Het Concertgebouw for the first time.

"Intimidating in the most beautiful way imaginable"

No young pianists have played more often to a sold-out Main Hall than Lucas and Arthur Jussen, yet the experience never loses its impact: "A recital in Het Concertgebouw, with just the two grand pianos on stage in a packed hall, is intimidating – but in the most beautiful way imaginable," says Lucas. For the season opening, the brothers present a programme spanning the entire history of music, from Bach and Brahms through to Ravel, alongside VAN, a work written especially for the brothers by Hanna Kulenty. The programme closes with Gershwin's swinging Rhapsody in Blue.

Krystian Zimerman: his own grand piano, and a surprise repertoire

Krystian Zimerman is one of the most distinctive of the great pianists. In his view, a concert is a unique musical experience that can only come into being in that moment. Zimerman is known for announcing his programmes late, or not at all. For his concert on 19 October, he introduces a new concept: inspired by Bach's Das wohltemperierte Klavier, he will perform 24 short piano pieces that evening, in 24 different keys following Bach's cycle – largely preludes by celebrated composers, chosen on the spot.

While most pianists perform on the grand pianos provided by the concert halls, Zimerman tours Europe with a dedicated van carrying his own Steinway. Together with his piano technician, he then tunes and voices the instrument specifically for the repertoire and the hall.

András Schiff & Evgeny Kissin: two greats, touring together

Two towering figures, one stage: András Schiff and Evgeny Kissin join forces for a unique recital on two grand pianos. Following an earlier duo recital at the Verbier Festival, the two pianists are now touring together through Europe's leading concert halls. The programme is also an opportunity to perform several classics for two pianos, including Mozart's Sonata in D major, K. 448, written to be played with his pupil Josephine Auernhammer, two years his junior, and Robert Schumann's Andante and Variations, which his wife Clara regularly performed with her beloved friend Johannes Brahms. The programme closes with some of the most beloved Eastern European works in four-hand arrangements: Smetana's The Moldau and a selection of Dvořák's Slavonic Dances.

Great Pianists season 2026–2027

The Great Pianists season continues with Igor Levit (13 Dec), performing a recital in anticipation of Beethoven Year 2027. Seven more Great Pianists follow in the Main Hall in 2027: Mitsuko Uchida (10 Jan), Mao Fujita (28 Feb), Yunchan Lim (14 March), Nikolai Lugansky (11 April), Arcadi Volodos (9 May), Grigory Sokolov (6 June) and Hélène Grimaud (20 June).