Pianissimo Summer Piano Festival 2025

GES-2 House of Culture in partnership with the Pianissimo Festival presents a summer programme of piano music, continuing the international cultural dialogue at GES-2.

Programme 

The Pianissimo Festival is designed to introduce the young generation of musicians to a broad audience in spaces that are often new to classical music. The Festival seeks synergy between various art forms, selecting venues where music meets painting, architecture, or natural landscapes. In past years concerts have been held in the Italian Hall of the New Hermitage (Saint Petersburg), GES-2 House of Culture (Moscow), and the Strelka Warehouses (Nizhny Novgorod) as well as the Valery Gergiev Concert Hall in Repino on the Gulf of Finland, the ballroom of the Kulm Hotel in Saint Moritz (Switzerland), and the Copacabana Palace Theatre in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

Photo: Anya Todich

The 2025 summer programme will feature concerts by outstanding representatives of the new generation on the world piano scene from the United Kingdom (George Harliono), Germany (Ron Maxim Huang), Brazil (Théo Singh), South Korea (Jinwoo Bae), Turkey (Faruk Kalayjci), Armenia (David Khachatryan), and Russia (Alexander Doronin, Dmitry Shishkin, and Kirill Rogovoy).

Programme

Tickets

George Harliono (United Kingdom)

When: 8 July, 20:00–21:30

George Harliono (b. 2001) graduated from the Royal College of Music in London where he studied piano with Vanessa Latarche and is currently studying with Pascal Nemirovski at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He has won prizes at many international piano competitions, including the International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow), Grand Piano (Moscow), the Gina Bachauer International Competition for Young Pianists (Utah, USA) and the Dinu Lipatti Competition for Pianists (Bucharest, Romania). He has performed at the Wigmore Hall and Albert Hall (London), the Philharmonie Berlin, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, and other prestigious European venues.

Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685—1750)—Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924)
Chaconne in D minor

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Transcendental Études, S. 139: no. 4 “Mazeppa,” no. 11 “Harmonies du soir”, no. 12 “Chasse-neige”
Liebesträume, S. 541
Mephisto-Walzer, S. 514, no. 1

Faruk Kalayci (Turkey)

Tickets

When: 9 July, 20:00–21:30

Faruk Kalayci (b. 2000) studied piano with Eser Bilgeman at the Istanbul University State Conservatory and is currently an assistant and trainee at the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Ruvim Ostrovsky. He has won prizes at the Pera Piano International Competition (Istanbul, Turkey) and the El Fujairah International Piano Competition (UAE).

Programme

Franz Schubert (1797—1828)—Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Serenade
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Erlkönig

Richard Wagner (1813—1883)—Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
“Death of Isolde” from the opera Tristan und Isolde, S. 447

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Novelletten, Op. 21, no. 8

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Sonata in C minor, S. 178

Kirill Rogovoy (Russia)

Tickets will be available later

When: 15 July, 20:00–21:30

Kirill Rogovoy (b. 2007) studied piano with Angela Lagoda at the Ilovaisk School of Arts, with Natalia Chesnokova at the Donetsk Republican Specialised Music Boarding School, and with Natalia Trull at the Central Music School attached to the Moscow Conservatory. He has won prizes at the Grand Piano International Competition for Young Pianists (Moscow), the International Scriabin Piano Competition (Grosseto, Italy), the Vladimir Krainev International Piano Competition (Moscow), and the Rachmaninoff International Competition for Young Pianists (Veliky Novgorod). Kirill Rogovoy has been awarded scholarships by the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation and the New Names Foundation.

Programme

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Sonata no. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
“Venezia e Napoli” from the cycle Années de pèlerinage, S. 162

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Études symphoniques, Op. 13

Ron Maxim Huang (Germany)

Tickets will be available later

When: 16 July, 20:00–21:30

Ron Maxim Huang (b. 2001) studied piano in Berlin under Thomas Just at the Hanns Eisler Hochshule für Music and under Markus Groh at the Julius Stern Institute (part of the Berlin University of the Arts). He is currently pursuing his studies at the Julius Stern Institute with Björn Lehmann. He won the Ettlingen International Piano Competition (Germany), the International Ferruccio Busoni Competition for Young Pianists (Bolzano, Italy), and the Xiamen International Piano Competition (China). He has performed at the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Philharmonie Berlin, and the Frauenkirche in Dresden, and has taken part in many music festivals.

Programme

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Sonata no. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 (movements I, II, III)

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Totentanz, S. 525

Franz Schubert (1797—1828)—Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
“Gute Nacht” from Winterreise, S. 561, no. 1

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827)—Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Symphony no. 3, Eroica (fourth movement)

Wang Jianzhong (1933–2016)
Silver Clouds Chasing the Moon

Charles Trenet (1913—2001)—Alexis Weissenberg (1929–2012)
April in Paris

Alfred Grünfeld (1852–1924)
Soirée de Vienne

David Khachatryan (Armenia)

Tickets will be available later

When: 29 July, 20:00–21:30

David Khachatryan (b. 2006) studied piano under Larisa Kutsenko and Natalia Panova at the Ural Music College (attached to the Ural Conservatory). He is currently continuing his studies under Natalia Trull at the Central Music School (attached to the Moscow Conservatory). He has won prizes at the Ural International Competition for Young Pianists (Yekaterinburg), the Klavissimo International Piano Competition (Yekaterinburg), the Vladimir Krainev International Piano Competition (Moscow), and the Harmonium Online Plus International Piano Competition (Malaysia). David has been awarded scholarships by the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation and the New Names Foundation.

Programme

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Sonata no. 2 in F minor, Op. 57, Appassionata

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Sonata in C minor, S. 178
Mephisto-Walzer, S. 514, no. 1

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Three Mazurkas, Op. 59

Théo Singh (Brazil)

Tickets will be available later

When: 30 July, 20:00–21:30

Théo Singh (b. 2000) studied piano with Rogério Zagi at the Osesp Music Academy in São Paulo and under Victor Lima at the Steinway International Piano Academy (part of the Rossall School) in the United Kingdom. He was a prize winner at the online Crescendo International Music Competition (Portugal), the João de Souza Lima Competition in São Paulo (Brazil), and the London Young Musician online competition. He has performed at the Vienna Musikverein (Austria), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, Netherlands), the Mozarteum Great Hall in Salzburg (Austria), and tours extensively in America and Europe.

Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Three-part invention no. 5 in E-flat major, BWV 776

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Sonata no. 3 in C major, Op. 2

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Ballade no. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Suite Bergamasque, L. 75

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)
Ciclo Brasileiro, W 374

Jinwoo Bae (South Korea)

Tickets will be available later

When: 5 August, 20:00–21:30

Jinwoo Bae (b. 2001) studied piano at the Yewon School of Arts in Seoul with Jinsang Lee and at the Korea National University of Arts with Minsoo Sohn. He has won prizes at the Maria Canals Piano Competition (Barcelona, Spain), the Korea Herald Competition, the Korean Youth Competition, and the Korean Chopin Competition. He has performed at venues including the Ateneu Cultural Centre in Barcelona (Spain), the Bucheon Arts Centre (South Korea), the Kumho Art Hall at Yonsei University (Seoul, South Korea), the Kwanglim Arts Centre (Seoul, South Korea) and the Geumjeong Arts Centre (Busan, South Korea).

Programme

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
18 Pieces for Piano, Op. 72:
No. 1, “Impromptu”
No. 4, “Danse caractéristique”
No. 5, “Méditation”
No. 11, “Valse-bluette”
No. 15, “Un poco di Chopin”
No. 17, “Passé lointain”

Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953)
Sonata no. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Sonata no. 1 in D minor, Op. 2

Alexander Doronin (Russia)

Tickets will be available later

When: 6 August, 20:00–21:30

Alexander Doronin (b. 2002) studied piano at the Gnessin College of Music in Moscow with Mikhail Khokhlov and Olga Martynova. He is currently a student at the Royal College of Music (London, class of Dmitri Alexeev). He has won prizes in many international piano competitions, including the Nutcracker Competition (Moscow), the Anton Rubinstein Competition (Düsseldorf, Germany), the Lyon Piano Competition (France), and the European Piano Competition (Bremen, Germany). He has performed at prominent venues in Europe and Asia. He was awarded a scholarship by the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation.

Programme

Elena Firsova (b. 1950)
Hymn to Spring

Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
Sonatas in D minor, K. 176; G minor, K. 8; C major, K. 501

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Suite Bergamasque, L. 75

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Sonata no. 1 in D minor, Op. 28

Dmitry Shishkin (Russia)

Tickets will be available later

When: 13 August, 20:00–21:30

Dmitry Shishkin (b. 1992) graduated in 2015 from the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied with Eliso Virsaladze. He then studied with Epifanio Comis at the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory in Catania (Italy) and Arie Vardi at the Hannover Hochschule für Musik. He has won prizes at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano (Italy), the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and the Top of the World International Piano Competition in Tromsø (Norway). In 2019, he won second prize and a silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow and Saint Petersburg).

Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685—1750)—Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924)
Chorale Prelude in F minor “Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ,” BWV 639

César Franck (1822–1890)
Prelude, Fugue, and Variation in C minor, Op. 18

Nikolai Medtner (1880–1951)
Fairy Tales, Op. 26: no. 1 in E-flat major, no. 3 in F minor

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Dumka, Op. 59
Russian Scherzo, Op. 1, no. 1

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Preludes, Op. 23: no. 1 in F-sharp minor, no. 3 in D minor, no. 5 in G minor
Preludes, Op. 32: no. 5 in G major, no. 8 in A minor, no. 10 in B minor, no. 12 in G-sharp minor

Franz Schubert (1797—1828)—Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Auf dem Wasser zu Singen
Erlkönig