Reflections in the ballroom
Prof. Michail Lifits’s piano class brings Ravel and Rachmaninoff into dialogue
With the concert “Reflections—Ravel and Rachmaninoff in Dialogue,” Prof. Michail Lifits’s piano class invites you to the Festsaal Fürstenhaus at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Admission to the concert is free!
At the beginning of the 20th century, some of the most significant works in the piano repertoire were composed in France and Russia. Although Maurice Ravel and Sergei Rachmaninoff followed very different musical paths, both expanded the sonic possibilities of the piano in their own unique ways. The piano recital “Reflections” juxtaposes selected masterpieces by both composers and invites the audience to experience their music in a new context.
The title draws on Ravel’s piano cycle Miroirs and simultaneously refers to the musical reflections that emerge throughout the evening between the works of both composers. The focus is not on contrasts, but on surprising points of connection and new perspectives on familiar masterpieces.
The program includes, among others, Ravel’s Miroirs, Gaspard de la nuit, and La Valse, as well as Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Sonata.
The evening will be presented by students from Prof. Michail Lifits’s piano class. Several of them have already won awards at international piano competitions and are among the most promising young pianists of their generation.
[July 1, 2026]