City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Curiosity and enthusiasm - many careers have started with the famous Vienna Boys' Choir. When Lukas Sternath became a member, his music-loving parents already had a piano in the house - on which the son, born in 2001, initially played jazz enthusiastically. However, the classical music spark also made a lasting impression, so that the music world took notice in 2022 when Sternath won first prize and seven special awards at the ARD music competition. Despite his considerable success and a steadily growing number of renowned playing partners, the pianist, a master student of Igor Levit, consciously sees himself as still at the beginning of his career. His artistic curiosity is both his compass and his driving force. "I want to spend my whole life with these works," explained Sternath when he performed both of Johannes Brahms' piano concertos for the first time in 2024.

The Westdeutsche Zeitung praised his interpretation, which retains "the exploratory, the playful, concentrated search for the right sound" - at once virtuosic, powerful and carried by tender lightness. The exceptional young pianist is now making his debut at the Albert Concerts with Brahms. Chief conductor Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra not only demonstrate the qualities of their traditional orchestra in Béla Bartók's masterful "Concerto for Orchestra" but are also ideal partners in Brahms' symphonically dimensioned Second Piano Concerto, whose mature composure and orchestral fullness place the highest demands on both soloist and ensemble.

Program:
Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major op. 83
Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra Sz 116

Instrumentation:
Lukas Sternath, piano
Kazuki Yamada, conductor
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

RMF & Kazuki Yamada Global Project
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Germany Tour 2026
Main sponsor: Rohm Music Foundation

EUR 119,- / 109,- / 93,- / 67,- / 52,- incl. fees
In the ABO: EUR 93.90 / 90.50 / 79.20 / 57.20 / 45.50

Lukas Sternath | Photo © Julia Wesely