Premiere Performances 20th Season: Kirill Gerstein plays Liszt

EVENT DESCRIPTION

The 2001 Rubinstein Gold Medalist and the only pianist to win both the Gilmore Young Artist and prestigious Gilmore Artist awards, Russian-American pianist Kirill Gerstein is one of today’s most celebrated artists. His intellectual depth and ferocious technique continue to earn him elite accolades, including a Gramophone Award, three Grammy nominations and the 2025 Opus Klassik.

This highly anticipated return brings Gerstein’s celebrated Liszt. From the poetic Petrarch Sonnets to the monumental Sonata in B minor, witness a master channel the very soul of Liszt’s masterpieces in an unforgettable evening of music.

The inception of Premiere Performances was sparked in 2006 when Andrea Fessler witnessed a young, then-unknown Kirill Gerstein step in as a last-minute soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Inspired by the Vancouver Recital Society, where Gerstein had appeared previously, Fessler invited him to be our first recitalist. Due to his burgeoning career, his return to Hong Kong for our Recital Series finally took place in 2009.

To mark our 20th anniversary season, Kirill returns to perform the monumental Liszt B minor Sonata—the same work that anchored his 2009 debut with us.

Programme

LISZT Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata
LISZT Three Petrarch Sonnets
LISZT Polonaise No. 2 in E Major
LISZT Piano Sonata in B minor

28 September 2026 (Monday) 7:30 pm
Duration: Approx. 80 mins without interval