Lise de la Salle

In our matinees we often give young, promising artists the chance to take the stage and demonstrate their talent to the Festspielhaus audience. And sometimes – as in the case of Lise de la Salle – a real jewel is found amongst all the gems. This lady plays piano – and wow, how she plays it! Reviewers have long referred to her as the greatest French pianistic talent alongside Hélène Grimaud. However, she prefers to look to Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Maria Callas as role models rather than to contemporary pianists, and endeavours to make the piano ‘sing’ – old school style. This particular music branch - which currently isn’t blessed with a great pool of up-and-coming pianistic talents – has pinned great hopes on her. At just over 20 years of age, Lise de la Salle is already a seasoned professional having already released four CDs. Not a bad start…