衛武營國家藝術文化中心 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

Lukáš VONDRÁČEK, who won the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2016, has emerged as one of the most active pianists across Europe and America. He has partnered with prestigious orchestras including the Chicago Symphony and London Symphony, and worked alongside distinguished conductors like Paavo JÄRVI, Christoph ESCHENBACH, and Yannick NÉZET-SÉGUIN. His performances are characterized by a blend of intense power and subtle finesse, infused with emotive tension. His playing style has been praised by The Washington Post for its "astonishing delicacy."

The recital is scheduled to commence with a tribute to VONDRÁČEK's Czech roots, featuring select pieces from Josef SUK's 6 Piano Pieces and Bedřich SMETANA's second book of Czech Dances, which boast captivating dance motifs and intricate piano vocabularies to bring out VONDRÁČEK's agile playing. The second half will present Robert SCHUMANN's Kreisleriana, which draws inspiration from the characters created by Ernst Theodor Wilhelm HOFFMANN. This musical masterpiece, akin to a revolving kaleidoscope, brims with novel musical ideas that mirror the composer's outlook on life. It will be fascinating to see how VONDRÁČEK imbues these brief compositions with an epic poem-like flair through his playing.

  Program  

J. SUK: 4 songs from 6 Piano Pieces, Op. 7

           'Song of Love'

           'Humoresque'

           'Two Little Idylls'

           'Dumka'

B. SMETANA: Selection from Czech Dances (Book II)

          'Furiant'

          'Cibulička'

          'Hulan'

          'Skocna'

R. A. SCHUMANN: Kreisleriana, Op. 16

R. A. SCHUMANN: Arabesque, Op. 18

  Creative and Production Team  

Piano｜Lukáš VONDRÁČEK

  Artists Introduction  

Lukáš VONDRÁČEK

At the age of four Lukáš VONDRÁČEK made his first public appearance. As a fifteen-year-old in 2002 he made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy which was followed by a major US tour in 2003. His natural and assured musicality and remarkable technique have long marked him out as a gifted and mature musician. He has achieved worldwide recognition by receiving many international awards, foremost the Grand Prix at the 2016 Concours Reine Elisabeth in Brussels alongside first prizes at the Hilton Head and San Marino International Piano Competitions and Unisa International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa.

Following recent highlights such as collaborations with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Boston Symphony and London Symphony orchestras, the 2022/23 season sees Lukáš VONDRÁČEK work with renowned orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra amongst many others. He will also return to long term partners such as Saarbrücken State Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. Recital engagements lead him to the Flanders Festival, Flagey in Brussels for their Piano Days Festival and to Luzern's KKL as part of the "Le Piano Symphonique" Festival before the season ends with performances together with the Ensemble 1704 under Vaclav LUKS at the "Chopin and his Europe" Festival in Warsaw and the Beethovenfest Bonn.

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