We at Modern Classical Music Magazine are committed to uncovering and spreading the word about the latest news in the world of piano and neoclassical music. Today, March 29th, 2025, marks a very special and heartfelt occasion for our community: the 10th anniversary of Piano Day. This worldwide event celebrates the piano as a profoundly expressive musical instrument, bringing people together through the magic and power of music.
Modern Classical Music is delighted to share the beauty and the vibrancy of the piano by strengthening its partnership with the Piano Revenge Festival. As some of our readers may have discovered from our previous issues and articles, Piano Revenge is an international piano-centered festival set to take place in Paris on June 19th, 20th, and 21st, 2025, in the charming venue of the Théâtre de l’Île-Saint-Louis. The festival will gather pianists and musicians from around the world, offering three evenings of music dedicated to the piano and its many shades of expression.
Delving deeper into the festival’s program allows us to explore the backgrounds, artistry, and values of each participating artist. Let’s uncover the structure of the program and the artists involved in each concert while embracing a weightless moment devoted to music. All the compositions shared and mentioned in the article are meant to identify the artist’s direction and are not representative of the concerts’ program, which remains at the liberty of each pianist in order to promote improvisation and a spontaneous music flow.
June 19th, 2025
The opening day of the Festival features two concerts and is aimed to share a glimpse of the multicultural and multi-stylistic diversity of the artistry behind the piano, the hands through which the music meets the world.
The first slot will be opened by the pianists Patrice Carpentier, Edoardo Gastaldi, and Julian Trevelyan. Patrice Carpentier is French of origin and has a deeply established concert and teaching career. Carpentier’s music works as a prologue to the festival, enriching the listeners’ experience with profound musical sensibility. Edoardo Gastaldi, a rising Italian composer known for his innovative and intimate creations, brings a fresh perspective to the stage. Gastaldi experiments with novelty in original pieces such as his most recent “She Loves February”. Julian Trevelyan, a British pianist and musicologist, will conclude the concert with original compositions characterized by technical brilliance and depth.
During the second part of the first festival’s day, we will experience the artistry of Maxime Verdoni, Matt Wilier, Will Jome, and Nicolas Dedieu. The mentioned names are those of talented original music composers, able to build an airy and warm room of sound and thought. Exemplifications of the compositional skills of the names above are remarkable pieces such as Verdoni’s elegant and soft “Ad Pacem”, Wilier’s hypnotic and cyclical “A Suspended Moment”, Jome’s hauntingly blissful “Overthinking”, or Dedieu’s “Prélude pour Inès [piano]” – a gift of density and culture.
June 20th, 2025
The second day of the Festival is dedicated to highlighting the piano as a core and fundamental instrument through which music creates a bridge towards culture and society.
The afternoon set welcomes British pianist and composer Benjamin Cook, South Korean artist Doomin Kim, and Lithuanian concert pianist Emilija Zukauskaite, who will enhance the spectrum of the festival by gifting the audience a distinctive blend of original compositions and classical performances. Cook’s recent virtuous yet mysterious “The Phoenix” solo piece is a great example of his eclectic passion for the instrument. Zukauskaite’s presentations of the music of the Lithuanian composer and painter Čiurlionis show her love for art in the form of a bigger and sectors-binding picture. At last, Kim’s performance will include Scriabin, Satie, Debussy, and Roussel, alongside two contemporary French composers, one of them being Nicolas Dedieu. Doomin is additionally preparing an original composition to be premiered during the Festival.
The second concert on June 20th will feature concert pianist Olga Sysoyeva-Schmitt, and French composers Hemsing and Henri de Quengo.
The atmosphere is expected to be filled with ebbs and flows between the modern and historical roots of music. The contemplative and soothing air of Erik Satie, a composer dear to Olga, will be followed by the originality of Hemsing’s cathartic motion, exemplified in his recently released “All das”. With de Quengo, we will then delve into mesmeric music, i.e., his original “Nocturnal Reveries”.
June 21st, 2025
The final day of the festival will begin with an early afternoon masterclass session, followed by two concerts specially curated to coincide with World Music Day (Fête de la Musique).
Michael Wladkowski, American pianist, will lead the masterclass, offering insights into his artistic approach and inviting attendees to engage in a dialogue about music. Through the piano once played by Alain Kremski, Wladkoski will play the music of Karol Szymanowski, who “knew the secrets of the piano,” Michael himself states in a previous interview available here.
Following the masterclass, the first concert will be held by Italian composer Riccardo Roveda, French pianist and producer Oscar Kowalski, and neoclassical pianist Jan de Winter. Roveda’s compelling and engaging sounds are meant to create threads with the audience, creating a bed into which Kowalski’s melodious pieces, such as “Solace” and Jan de Winter’s Album “Albedo” may perfectly delve into.
The last concert of the festival will be opened by Davide Fasiello‘s grace and delicacy. Music such as his recent “L’improvviso nei tuoi occhi” captures the essence of an instinctual and emotional floating state. Fasiello’s performance is followed by Australian pianist Cameron Segal‘s airiness, as perceivable in his “Connected” musical work. At last, the festival is closed by Anna Bondareva, whose improvisational artistry embodies the spirit of creative exploration and connection, as in her recent EP “Arômes du printemps”.
As the Piano Revenge Festival draws to a close, it leaves behind an enduring sense of inspiration, celebrating the piano as a bridge between cultures, emotions, and artistic visions. To learn more about the festival, purchase tickets, and stay updated on the participating artists, check out the links below. We look forward to experiencing this extraordinary event with you!
Read more about the Piano Revenge Festival via their official website.
Buy the tickets via Billet reduc:
Listen to the music of the participant artists through the Official Piano Revenge Spotify Playlist: