Martyn Brabbins, Lucas & Arthur Jussen & NSO
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PROGRAM
Béla Bartók: Concerto for 2 Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra, BB 121 (Sz. 115)
Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61
INFO
While Robert Schumann was composing his Symphony No. 2, he was grappling with profound mental struggles at the same time. Yet within this work, his resilience and rich creative spirit shine through, earning the symphony the distinction of being a deeply personal “Fate Symphony.”
Bartók's Concerto for Two Pianos and Percussion has its roots in his 1937 Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. Three years later, Bartók reimagined the piece to include orchestral accompaniment, crafting an intricate interplay between two pianos and percussion that produces a sonic landscape unlike any heard before.
Leading this extraordinary performance is conductor Martyn Brabbins, joining him are Dutch pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen, whose vibrant artistry brings a fresh, youthful energy to Bartók's iconic masterpiece.
ARTISTS
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Martyn Brabbins, conductor
Lucas Jussen & Arthur Jussen, piano
National Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor
Martyn Brabbins was recently appointed Chief Conductor of the Malmo Symphony and of the Symphony Orchestra of India, both starting in the 2025/26 season.
He guests with top international orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw, San Francisco Symphony, DSO Berlin and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, as well as the Philharmonia, BBC Symphony and many other leading UK orchestras. He is a popular figure at the BBC Proms, which in 2019 commissioned 14 living composers to write a birthday tribute to him, released in 2024 on the BIS label. Known for his advocacy of British composers, he has conducted hundreds of world premieres across the globe. He has recorded nearly 150 CDs to date, including prize-winning discs of operas by Korngold, Birtwistle and Harvey, as well as three Gramophone awards for recordings with the BBC Symphony and the Nash Ensemble. In 2023 he received the RPS Conductor Award for his "colossal" contribution to UK musical life.
In 2025/26 he returned to conduct the Adelaide Symphony, the BBC Symphony at the Barbican, and the BBC Scottish Symphony. Highlights of his first season as Chief Conductor in Malmö include Mahler and Shostakovich symphonies, and star soloists such as Bomsori Kim, Hakan Hardenberger and Peter Mattei, and with the SOI, Holst’s The Planets Suite and Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with Dame Sarah Connolly.
Brabbins studied composition in London and conducting with Ilya Musin in Leningrad, subsequently winning first prize at the 1988 Leeds Conductors' Competition which launched his international career.
Lucas Jussen & Arthur Jussen, piano
Lucas and Arthur Jussen are among the most sought-after piano duos of our time. Given their illustrious international careers, it is fair to say the Jussen brothers (born 1993 and 1996) are the Netherlands’ pre-eminent ambassadors for classical music. With their energetic, almost symbiotic playing, their great refinement of sound, and gripping interpretations, they are praised vigorously by press and audiences alike. “It is like driving a pair of BMWs”, exclaimed conductor Michael Schønwandt about the two pianists after directing them in concert.
In the 2025/26 season, Lucas and Arthur Jussen will be Artists in Residence with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester), appearing in multiple programmes throughout the year.
A major highlight of the season will be their highly anticipated debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in February 2026. Further invitations will take them to the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Zürich, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, and again to the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.
As soloists, they will also tour with the Munich Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. In the United States, they make their debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and will appear in recitals in Prescott, La Jolla, Palm Springs, and Kansas City.
In April 2026, they will premiere a newly commissioned double concerto by Andrew Norman with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Susanna Mälkki.
The Jussen brothers will make their South Korean debut at the Tongyeong International Music Festival before travelling to Taiwan to perform with the Taiwan Philharmonic and appear at the Weiwuying International Music Festival. In recital, they can be heard in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Ghent, Antwerp, Braunschweig, Leipzig, Marburg, Münster, Bielefeld, Wiesloch, Erlangen, Bern, Milan, and Vilnius.