Astoria Concerts Programme 2026 - 2027

As one of the most succesful Belgian pianists of his generation, with prizes from four major international competitions including the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, Johan Schmidt is a regular guest on the world's leading stages.

For this exceptional recital, he offers a contrasted musical journey where the intimacy of Brahms's Intermezzi meets the vast sonic architectures and virtuosity of Franz Liszt.

Johan Schmidt, piano

• Johannes Brahms: 3 Intermezzi, Op. 117 for piano
• Franz Liszt: Après une lecture de Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata for piano
• Franz Liszt: Consolations, S. 172 (No. 3 in D-flat major) for piano
• Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S. 244 for piano

La Cetra d'Orfeo transports us into the splendor and elegant intimacy of the Versailles salons under Louis XIV and Louis XV. Celebrating the great masters of the French Baroque, this program unveils the rich textures of French Baroque chamber music written for recorders, viola da gamba, and harpsichord.

From the striking purity of Hotteterre's unaccompanied duets to the refined counterpoint of Leclair's continuo, and from the theatrical humor of Marais's Tableau de l'Opération de la Taille to the mischievous wit of Rameau, the evening offers a fascinating panorama of the French musical spirit.

Ensemble La Cetra d'Orfeo

• Carlota Ingrid Garcia, traverso
• Barbara Hünninger, viola da gamba
• Raphaël Collignon, harpsichord
• Michel Keustermans, recorders

One of music's towering figures in musical history, Ludwig van Beethoven remains an inexhaustible spring of creative inspiration. Pianist Olivier de Spiegeleir, widely acclaimed for his highly engaging and illuminating lecture-recitals, guides us through a selection of sonatas, variations, and bagatelles, offering a personal journey into the heart of Beethoven's musical thought.

A Selection of sonatas, variations, and bagatelles for solo piano.

To bring this Concerts Astoria season to a triumphant close, four world-class musicians will perform two pinnacles of the piano quartet repertoire. The radiant elegance and classical balance of Mozart's Quartet in E-flat major, will give way to the passionate and sweeping poetry of Schumann's monumental Piano Quartet, a finale marked by artistic generosity, emotional depth and expressive dialogue.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, K. 493

Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47

Brought by

• Gordan Nikolić, violin
• Frantz Gališ, viola
• Céline Flamen, cello
• Roberta Mamou, piano