Alexandre Kantorow in recital: Chopin, Medtner, Alkan, Scriabin, Beethoven

Called "Liszt reincarnated," the immensely gifted French pianist Alexandre Kantorow returns to the Swiss Alps for a magnificent solo recital at the 2026 Verbier Festival. A program of breathtaking musical tableaux awaits, including Liszt's variations on the opening chorus of Bach's cantata "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" (Weeping, lamenting, worrying, fearing), which culminates in a glimmer of hope amid despair; the deliciously dark Chanson de la folle au bord de la mer by Alkan; and the mystical, apocalyptic visions of Scriabin's Vers la flamme. In gorgeous contrast to these tragic pieces, Kantorow offers up the first Piano Sonata by Medtner, the elegant Op. 45 Prelude by Chopin, and the very last of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas, the mighty and technically demanding Op. 111.