If a major pianist who has pursued a remarkable career is still handled as an “insider tip”, there can be two reasons: his modest restraint, on the one hand, and his uncommon choices of repertoire, on the other. Severin von Eckardstein is known for both. After having won First Prize at the Brussels Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2003, he attracted considerable attention and has been touring the globe with solo recitals ever since, and he has collaborated with renowned conductors of the likes of Gergiev and Herreweghe. Eckardstein has the knack of combining gentle sounds with captivating clarity and virtuosity: he forms the notes until they penetrate the soul. “That is what music-making is all about,” wrote German music critic Eleonore Büning. “Severin von Eckardstein is a true musical genius.” His programming choices are often surprising, as in his sixth appearance at the Ruhr Piano Festival, where he will present his own solo piano arrangement of Richard Strauss’s orchestral tone poem Death and Transfiguration, and will improvise an introduction to Beethoven’s last piano sonata. With his choice of works, Eckardstein will also be paying homage to Alexander Scriabin, whose 150th birthday is being celebrated by the entire music world in 2022.