Taking over from the ill Maria João Pires, Alexandre Kantorow now makes his Festival debut, originally already planned for 2020. The young Frenchman has been acclaimed worldwide since his sensational victory at the prestigious 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition. Gramophone magazine called him a “fire-breathing virtuoso with a poetic charm and innate stylistic mastery”. In Vienna, he recently stood in for the ill Martha Argerich and was seen off with enthusiastic cheers. The Viennese Kronenzeitung called him a “fascinating pianist whose tonal resources are astounding”, and the Standard simply judged: “One of the best pianists in the world!” At his Düsseldorf concert, Kantorow demonstrates his virtuosity with works by Franz Liszt. Also on the programme are Robert Schumann’s great Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor and Alexander Scriabin’s “Vers la Flamme”.