Julius Asal piano

Julius Asal brings his piano recital to The Bridgewater Hall on Thursday 11 February 2027, as part of the Manchester Midday Music series. It's a lunchtime slot, so it's the kind of thing you can fit into a working day rather than clearing an entire evening for. The doors open at 12:45, the music starts at 13:00, and it wraps up by 13:50, leaving you plenty of time to get back to whatever else you've got on.

The programme mixes the familiar with a couple of things you won't hear anywhere else. He opens with Beethoven's Sonata for piano No.1 in F minor, one of the composer's early, moody works. That's followed by a selection from Vendettas by Gonzales, which gets its UK premiere here in Manchester. And then there's something he's written himself: Nutcracker Improvisations, so you'll be hearing Asal as both performer and composer in the same room.

Asal is a German pianist who's come up fast. Menahem Pressler once described his playing as having a "uniquely beautiful sound and special sonority", and the industry has been paying attention: Deutsche Grammophon announced him as one of its new exclusive recording artists in October 2023, and since then he's been named a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Classic FM's Rising Star 2024, and the recipient of the Terence Judd-Hallé Award in 2025. He's played as a soloist with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Munich Symphonic Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and has made recital debuts in Tokyo and Osaka.

The recital is part of Beethoven 200, The Bridgewater Hall's series marking the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's death in 1827, which brings together some of his most significant works—from the big symphonies and piano concertos to the more intimate piano sonatas. It's presented as part of the Manchester Midday Music series with support from The Terence Judd Trust. Tickets are £15.25, with concessions at £13.25 and students at £8.25; all those prices include a £3.25 booking fee.