Lucas Jussen

“In their hands, the two pianos merge into a single, harmonious instrument” De Volkskrant “It’s like driving two BMWs at once,” remarked conductor Michael Schønwandt after conducting the Dutch brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen. Although still young, these two promising pianists have already gained a wealth of experience in the international concert scene. Both as a duo and as soloists, Lucas and Arthur are celebrated by critics and audiences alike. They received their first piano lessons from Leny Bettman in their hometown of Hilversum. Lucas (1993) reached the finals of the Rotterdamse Piano Driedaagse in 2001, and in 2004, Arthur (1996) was named “Young Music Talent of the Year” at the national competition of the Jong Muziektalent Foundation. In 2005, at the invitation of Portuguese master pianist Maria João Pires, the two brothers studied in Portugal and Brazil for almost a year. In the following years, they were taught by both Pires and two renowned Dutch teachers: piano pedagogue Jan Wijn took them under his wing, and with Ton Hartsuiker, they delved into 20th-century music. In 2011, Lucas and Arthur received the first Concertgebouw Young Talent Award, and in 2013, the Audience Award of the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Lucas and Arthur have performed with almost all Dutch orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Residentie Orkest, and the Radio Kamer Filharmonie. They have also played with renowned international orchestras such as the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig. Conductors they have worked with include Valery Gergiev, Jaap van Zweden, Sir Neville Marriner, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Claus Peter Flor, Eliahu Inbal, Jan Willem de Vriend, Stéphane Denève, James Gaffigan, and Frans Brüggen. They have performed with numerous well-known soloists, including Chinese star pianist Lang Lang, with whom Lucas shared the stage at the Prinsengrachtconcert in 2006. In 2013, the brothers premiered ""Together,"" a piece for two pianos written for them by Theo Loevendie. In addition to their orchestral appearances, the brothers are also highly regarded for their piano recitals. They have performed both as part of the “Meesterpianisten” series and the Robeco series at the Concertgebouw. They have also given several concerts at the invitation of former Queen Beatrix. In 2014, Lucas and Arthur accompanied King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima on their first state visit to Poland. They have performed in most concert halls in the Netherlands, but have also been guests in concert halls and at festivals across Europe, including the Herkulessaal (Munich), the Rheingau Musik Festival, the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, and the Festival de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron. International tours have taken them beyond Europe to Japan (2012), China (2013), and South Korea (2014). In 2010, Lucas and Arthur signed a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon. Their debut CD featuring works by Beethoven was awarded platinum status, and they also won the Edison Klassiek Audience Award for it. After a successful Schubert recording, their third CD, “Jeux,” was dedicated to French piano music. In October 2015, their fourth recording was released, featuring Mozart’s Piano Concertos K. 365 and K. 242. They are accompanied on this recording by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner. The album achieved gold status and was included in the British Gramophone Magazine's list of the 50 most significant Mozart recordings. A new release with works by Poulenc and Saint-Saëns (recorded with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Stéphane Denève) is scheduled for March 2017. Lucas studied with Menahem Pressler in the United States and with Dmitri Bashkirov at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, where in July 2015, he received the “Best Piano Trio of the 2013/2014 School Year” award from Queen Sofía of Spain. Arthur is studying at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Jan Wijn.