Rezital Alexander Malofeev

Talk about a magical moment! On 20 August 2024, the 23-year-old Alexander Malofeev sat down at the grand piano in the KKL Luzern Concert Hall and plunged fearlessly into the depths with the cascading chords that open Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto - and you could sense everyone present holding their breath. But Malofeev had no need of a safety net, for he mastered the most intricate passages with bravura, even exploring delicate nuances. Instead of merely pounding the piano, he proved himself to be a poet in total control of the keyboard. We immediately invited him back, which is why he will now introduce himself at the Spring Festival with his debut solo recital in Lucerne. Malofeev, half of whose family comes from southern Russia and the other half from Ukraine, has been living in exile in Berlin since 2022. His program seeks to bridge the gap between East and West. Schubert’s Piano Pieces, which are alternately agitated and contemplative, meet Kabalevsky’s playful, nimble Third Piano Sonata. The second half of the program will juxtapose the intense virtuosity of Liszt’s great funeral march Funérailles with Scriabin’s heaven-storming Op. 28 Fantaisie.

Program
18.30
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Three Piano Pieces, D 946
Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904–1987)
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F major, Op. 46
Leoš Janáček (1854–1928)
In the Mists
Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Funérailles, S 173, no. 7
Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915)
Four Préludes, Op. 22
Fantaisie in B minor, Op. 28

Intermission at c. 19.20