Rising German piano star Julius Asal makes his Canadian debut with the Vancouver Recital Society, February 8
Among the 28-year-old’s recent achievements is winning the Terence Judd-Hallé Award for young pianists on the cusp of international fame
Julius Asal
The Vancouver Recital Society presents Julius Asal at the Vancouver Playhouse on February 8 at 3 pm
WHEN CLASSIC FM, the biggest classical-music station in the U.K., names an artist a “rising star”, it’s a pretty good indication that they’ve got talent to spare.
At least that’s the case with German-born pianist Julius Asal, who was included on that list in 2024. Just last year, he won the Terence Judd-Hallé Award, which goes to a young pianist on the cusp of international fame; as part of the award, he received a cash prize of £7,000 (over $13,000 Canadian), a solo recital with the Manchester Mid-Day Concerts Society, and a chamber recital at Hallé St Peter’s in Manchester. And he just performed the latter show, which revolved around Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat major, on January 24.
On the heels of that significant concert, Asal will be making his Canadian debut with the Vancouver Recital Society on February 8. For his matinee at the Vancouver Playhouse, he’s set to play Bartók’s Suite, Op. 14 and Three Burlesques, Op. 8c, as well as Brahms’s lyrical, early-career Ballades, Op. 10 and Rachmaninoff’s Preludes, Op. 32. There’ll also be a post-show talkback during which audience members can ask him about their most burning curiosities.
In recent years, Asal has hit some of the prestigious stages in Europe and Asia, from London’s Wigmore Hall and Vienna’s Musikverein to Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea. The 28-year-old was even described by the late piano legend Menahem Pressler, whose distinguished career spanned more than seven decades, as having a “uniquely beautiful sound and special sonority”.
So as the Vancouver Recital Society puts it: “Remember, you heard him here first!” 
Related Articles
