From 20 to 29 December the Mariinsky Theatre will host the XX Mariinsky International Piano Festival. Audiences can look forward to a rich and diverse programme comprising twenty outstanding concerts featuring renowned pianists alongside gifted young musicians.
The festival brings together Mira Yevtich, Vadim Monastyrsky, Vladimir Vishnevsky, Sergey Davydchenko, Yan Fang, Ilya Papoyan, Abisal Gergiev, Miroslav Kultyshev, Mira Marchenko, Oleg Vainshtein, Elizaveta Ukrainskaia, Xenia Bashmet, Daniil Sayamov, Anton Gornatko, Irina Lizanets, Pavel Nersessian, Irina Ten and Daniil Yekimovsky. Also taking part are Alexander Trostiansky (violin), the Komitas Quartet, students of Zora Zucker, and the Mariinsky Orchestra. The founders of the festival are Valery Gergiev and Mira Yevtich.
On 19 December, on the eve of the festival’s opening, a concert will be given by Ilya Papoyan, 3rd prize and Bronze Medal winner of the XVII International Tchaikovsky Competition, together with the Mariinsky Orchestra. The programme features six keyboard concerti by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Papoyan will appear again on 21 December, performing Bach’s French Overture, Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 1.
On 20 December the official opening of the festival will take place at the Concert Hall. Appearing are Abisal Gergiev, 2nd prize winner of the Northern International Music Competition (2024), Sergey Davydchenko, 1st prize and Gold Medal winner of the XVII International Tchaikovsky Competition, and the Mariinsky Orchestra.
The artists will perform Rodion Shchedrin’s Piano Concerti Nos 1 and 2. The evening is dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Russian composer. At 19:00 the Rachmaninoff Hall will host a recital by Anton Gornatko, laureate of international competitions. The programme features works by Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy and Liszt.
On 21 December the Concert Hall welcomes Vladimir Vishnevsky, winner of numerous prestigious international contests and 1st prize and Gold Medal recipient of the Rachmaninoff International Competition for Pianists, Composers and Conductors (2025). The programme features Bach–Busoni, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Liszt, Chopin and Ravel.
On 22 December a concert by the Mariinsky Orchestra, conducted by Oleg Khudyakov, 1st prize winner in conducting at the 2nd Rachmaninoff International Competition, will take place. Soloists: Mira Yevtich, co-founder of the festival, and Abisal Gergiev. The programme features Mozart’s Piano Concerti Nos 23 and 24 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.
On 23 December the Rachmaninoff Hall hosts Alexander Trostiansky (violin) and Irina Lizanets (piano). The programme features Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas Nos 4 and 9, Shchedrin’s Menuhin Sonata and Enescu’s Violin Sonata No. 1.
On 24 December four events will take place across the Mariinsky Theatre’s stages. At 13:00 at the Concert Hall: Pavel Nersessian, Honoured Artist of Russia, Professor of the Moscow Conservatory and Boston University. The programme features works by Bach, Chopin, Brahms and Ravel. At 19:00 there: Oleg Vainshtein, Honoured Artist of Russia, Associate Professor of the St Petersburg Conservatory. The programme features works by Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Borodin–Kamensky. At 19:00 at the Rachmaninoff Hall: Irina Ten, laureate of international competitions. The programme features Liszt’s Après une lecture de Dante, the Concert Suite from The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky–Pletnev), Scriabin’s 24 Preludes and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2. At 19:30 at the Stravinsky Hall: Mira Marchenko, Honoured Teacher of Russia. The programme features Schumann’s Kinderszenen and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Sonata in G major.
On 25 December an evening dedicated to the memory of Vsevolod Zaderatsky, composer and pianist. Daniil Sayamov, Pavel Nersessian and Daniil Yekimovsky will perform works by Zaderatsky, including the Sonata No. 2, Microbes of Lyricism, Notebook of Miniatures, Porcelain Cups, 24 Preludes and the world premiere of the Sonata No. 3.
On 26 December Mira Yevtich will play with the Komitas Quartet, a distinguished string ensemble founded in 1924. The programme features works by Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Mahler, Mirzoyan and Komitas–Aslamazyan.
On the same day, in keeping with festival tradition, the Prokofiev Hall will host a concert by students of Zora Zucker, whose pedagogical legacy is inseparable from St Petersburg’s musical life. The programme features works by Banevich, Chopin, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Liszt.
On 27 December at the Concert Hall the audience will hear the Mariinsky Orchestra, conducted by Fyodor Khandrikov. Soloist: Xenia Bashmet, laureate of international competitions. The programme features works by Bach, Britten, Haydn, Turina and Tchaikovsky. At 19:30 at the Rachmaninoff Hall Elizaveta Ukrainskaia will perform. The programme features works by Bach–Busoni, Brahms, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff.
On 28 December at the Concert Hall Miroslav Kultyshev, Honoured Artist of Russia, will play Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 6, Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 8 and Tchaikovsky’s Twelve Pieces. At 19:00 at the Rachmaninoff Hall Yan Fang, acclaimed Chinese pianist, will perform works by Leibak, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Scriabin, Bach–Busoni and the celebrated Ode to the Yellow River by Xian Xinghai and Yin Chengzong. At 14:00 at the Stravinsky Hall Vadim Monastyrsky, Honoured Artist of Russia, will play Bartók’s Suite, Schubert’s Six Moments musicaux, Liszt’s Sonetto 104 del Petrarca and Piano Sonata in B minor.
On 28 December Daniil Sayamov will perform with the Mariinsky Orchestra in a concert dedicated to the memory of Rodion Shchedrin. The programme features his Piano Concerti Nos 3 (Variations and Theme) and 4 (Sharp Keys).
On 29 December the closing concert will take place. The XX Mariinsky International Piano Festival concludes with a gala concert dedicated to the memory of Rodion Shchedrin. The Mariinsky Orchestra, together with pianists Yan Fang and Sergey Davydchenko, will perform Shchedrin’s Piano Concerti Nos 5 and 6 (Concerto lontano).
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