Evgeny Kissin is hailed worldwide as one of the great pianists of our time: for over thirty years he has called the major international concert venues his home. The modest, self-effacing artist impresses audiences with breathtaking technique and exceptional musical depth. Kissin already gave his début performance at the Festival in 2004 with a programme mainly devoted to Chopin. In 2014 he returned with Schubert and Scriabin sonatas, then in 2016 in piano trios with chamber music partners Julian Rachlin and Mischa Maisky.

On the New Year’s Day Concert in 2018 he performed with the Emerson String Quartet before making a triumphant return in 2019 to the Festival in an acclaimed recital with Beethoven sonatas. Overwhelmed with gratitude in view of the intense musical experiences we enjoyed through Kissin’s artistry, we intended to publicly honor him in 2020 by presenting him with the Ruhr Piano Festival Prize. We shall make up for that event this year. Kissin has chosen the young Russian-Armenian pianist Eva Gevorgyan as Ruhr Piano Festival Scholarship holder for 2020-2021; we will have the pleasure of hearing Gevorgyan’s début recital on 8 September 2021.

We thank our generous donator for making this concert possible, and the NATIONAL-BANK AG for donating Michael Dekker’s sculpture “Rhapsody”, for us to present to the laureate of the Ruhr Piano Festival Prize.