Aspen Music Festival and School Announces 2025 Winter Music Recital

ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SCHOOL ANNOUNCES 2025 WINTER MUSIC RECITALS FEATURING NIKOLAI LUGANSKY, TAKÁCS STRING QUARTET, AND GARRICK OHLSSON

ASPEN, COLORADO — The Aspen Music Festival and School brings internationally recognized artists to the acoustically pristine, 500-seat Harris Concert Hall for the 2025 Winter Music Series. The Winter Music Recital Series begins on Friday, February 7 with a true international sensation in pianist Nikolai Lugansky. Fresh off the release of Richard Wagner: Famous Opera Scenes, Lugansky will be performing works by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Wagner.

Winners of the Best Chamber Music Performance at the 45^th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony, the specular Takács String Quartet makes an appearance at Harris Concert Hall on Thursday, March 6, performing works by Beethoven and Bartók.

Finally, pianist Garrick Ohlsson will close out the 2025 Winter Music season on Thursday, March 20. Returning to Aspen after his triumphant 2024 summer season finale, this concert will feature works by Schubert, Skryabin, and Chopin.

Subscriptions for the Winter Music Recital Series will go on sale January 8, 2025. Single tickets will go on sale January 15, 2025. Both subscriptions and single tickets will be sold through the Aspen Music Festival and School Box Office. All Winter Music recitals take place at 6:30pm in Harris Concert Hall.

Full event details below. High-resolution images available upon request. Programs and artists subject to change.

 

2025 Winter Music Recital Series 

Nikolai Lugansky, piano        

Friday, February 7, 6:30PM, Harris Concert Hall

https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/lugansky-plays-wagner-beethoven-and-more

 

Repertoire 

MENDELSSOHN	6 Lieder ohne Worte
BEETHOVEN	Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, op. 31, no. 2, "Tempest"
WAGNER/NIKOLAI LUGANSKY	4 Scenes from Götterdämmerung
WAGNER/LISZT	Isolde's Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, LW A239

Hailed as "one of the most outstanding artists of our epoch" by Le Monde, Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky is a true international sensation. Renowned for his breathtaking musical sensitivity and interpretative brilliance, Lugansky returns to Aspen for the first time since 2019, ready to captivate once again.

His performance promises an unforgettable journey through a masterful program featuring Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Liszt’s legendary transcription of Wagner’s Isolde's Liebestod, and the highly anticipated highlight—Lugansky's own piano arrangement of Wagner's Götterdämmerung.

Fresh off the release of Richard Wagner: Famous Opera Scenes, a stunning album of Wagner transcriptions, including his own and iconic renditions by Liszt, Lugansky’s artistry continues to dazzle critics. Praised by OperaWire for creating a “pianistic fresco” that rivals Wagner’s original orchestration, this project brings 20 years of artistry to life.

Don’t miss your chance to witness one of the piano’s modern legends in an evening that promises to be nothing short of extraordinary.

  

Takács String Quartet

Thursday, March 6, 6:30PM, Harris Concert Hall

https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/an-evening-of-beethoven-and-bartok-with-takacs

 

Repertoire

BEETHOVEN	String Quartet in F major, op. 18, no. 1
BARTÓK	String Quartet No. 3, BB 93
BEETHOVEN	String Quartet in F major, op. 135

“Classical music doesn’t get much more life-enhancing than this,” raved The Guardian about a recent performance by the Grammy-winning Takács Quartet.

This winter, we invite you to gather with us for an unforgettable evening of music as this world-renowned ensemble presents a captivating program of Beethoven’s Op. 18 and Op. 135 String Quartets, alongside Bartók’s bold and gripping String Quartet No. 3.

In the pristine acoustics of Harris Concert Hall, let yourself be immersed in Beethoven’s vibrant and lyrical Op. 18, the introspective beauty of his late Op. 135, and the raw intensity of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 3. Bartók’s daring use of texture and rhythm will provide a striking counterpoint to Beethoven’s timeless elegance, showcasing the dynamic range and emotional depth of the string quartet form.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to be moved and inspired by two of history’s greatest composers performed by one of the world’s most celebrated quartets.

 

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

Thursday, March 20, 6:30PM, Harris Concert Hall

https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/chopin-mozart-and-more-with-garrick-ohlsson

 

Repertoire

MOZART	Piano Sonata in E-flat major, K. 282 (K. 189g)
THOMAS MISSON	Convocations
SCHUBERT	Piano Sonata in A major, D. 664, op. 120
SKRYABIN	Désir, op. 57, no. 1
SKRYABIN	Prélude, op. 59 no. 2
SKRYABIN	Piano Sonata No. 10, op. 70
CHOPIN	Nocturne in B major, op. 62, no. 1
CHOPIN	Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, op. 31

Praised by The Seattle Times for his “…incredible technique with razor-sharp accuracy,” this winter, experience world-renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson like never before, as he returns to Aspen for an intimate solo recital following his triumphant 2024 summer season finale. This performance offers a rare opportunity to hear Ohlsson up close in the intimate setting of Harris Concert Hall, where every note will resonate with unparalleled clarity and emotion.

From the timeless beauty of Chopin to the mystical intensity of Skryabin, the lyrical elegance of Schubert, and the classical brilliance of Mozart, Ohlsson will offer an unforgettable exploration of these iconic composers—and more—showcasing both his technical virtuosity and profound musicality.

Don’t miss this evening of pure musical magic—virtuosity, emotion, and intimacy all in one. Close out the 2025 Winter Music season with this virtuosic, thrilling evening of music played by a true titan of the piano!

###

ABOUT THE ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SCHOOL

The AMFS is the United States’ premier classical music festival, in normal years presenting more than 400 musical events during its eight-week summer season in Aspen. The organization draws top classical musicians from around the world to this Colorado mountain retreat for an unparalleled combination of performances and music education. Many events are free. 

About 400 music students from 40 U.S. states and 40 countries come during a normal summer to play in four orchestras, sing, conduct, compose and study with 200 renowned artist-faculty members. Students represent the field’s best talent; many have already begun their professional careers, and others are on the cusp.

Renowned alumni include violinists Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, Cho-Liang Lin, Robert McDuffie, Midori, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Gil Shaham; pianists Ingrid Fliter, Orli Shaham, Conrad Tao, Yuja Wang, Wu Han and Joyce Yang; conductors Marin Alsop, James Conlon, James Levine, Leonard Slatkin and Joshua Weilerstein; composers William Bolcom, Philip Glass, David Lang, Augusta Read Thomas, Bright Sheng and Joan Tower; vocalists Jamie Barton, Sasha Cooke, Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw and Tamara Wilson; cellists Lynn Harrell and Alisa Weilerstein; guitarist Sharon Isbin; performer Peter Schickele; and bassist Edgar Meyer. Learn more at aspenmusicfestival.com.

Aspen Music Festival and School       

225 Music School Road, Aspen, CO 81611

970-925-3254 Administration

info@aspenmusic.org
aspenmusicfestival.com