‘Enthusiasm and feelings of happiness – music as a living presence’ – The Le Piano Symphonique 2026 piano festival
‘Le piano comme espace de liberté’ – ‘The piano as a space of freedom’ – this is how Classicagenda.fr describes the artistic DNA of ‘Le Piano Symphonique’, the Swiss piano festival in Lucerne. In its fifth edition, the festival presented a programme from 12 to 18 January 2026 that included both world-famous pianists and outstanding young talents.
‘The audience stands, applauds, cheers. Music history,’ wrote the Saarbrücker Zeitung. The FAZ noted ‘enthusiasm and feelings of happiness’ and stated: ‘Outdated concert forms? Here, music happened as a living present.’ The NZZ reported on ‘small revolutions at the piano’ and emphasised that the festival, with Martha Argerich as ‘pianiste associée’, successfully shows ‘how to creatively question traditions in the music business.’
International media also highlighted the festival’s programmatic diversity: ‘A Lucerna tutti i volti del pianoforte’ – ‘All facets of the piano in Lucerne’ – wrote il giornale della musica.
And the trade magazine Diapason reported that the festival transformed Lucerne into a vibrant music centre and brought new talent to the fore.
‘Le festival Le Piano Symphonique a métamorphosé Lucerne en un foyer musical effervescent, révélant de nouveaux talents.’
‘Giving the piano a voice’ – this year, the festival found a language “that connects and creates space – including through listening to one another.” (RONDO)
Backstage Classical reported on the ‘Argerich magic’ that triggered ‘storms of applause and standing ovations’ – an intense week full of music that was ‘out of this world’ (Kulturjoker).
With 9,000 international concertgoers, the 2026 Le Piano Symphonique piano festival in Lucerne came to an end after an extremely successful fifth edition.
During the festival, the audience enjoyed six evening concerts as well as three lunchtime and debut concerts. Two programmes specially designed for children, teenagers and young adults were offered free of charge, as were a panel discussion and a masterclass, which culminated in a final concert.
In addition, this year’s festival featured two world premieres and an immersive 270° light show.
Artists at this year’s festival:
Martha Argerich («Pianiste associée»), Hélène Grimaud, David Fray, Alexandra Dovgan, Alexandre Kantorow, Schaghajegh Nosrati, Jean Rondeau, Stephen Kovacevich, Roman Borisov, Fil Liotis, Martina Meola, Mirabelle Kajenjeri, Guillaume Bellom, Akane Sakai, Renaud Capuçon, Janine Jansen, Mischa Maisky, William Kentridge, Robin Ticciati, Illustrator Zep, Lichtkunst-Kollektiv Ocubo, Michael Sanderling, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
The next edition of the ‘Le Piano Symphonique’ festival will take place in Lucerne from 11 to 17 January 2027.
