Le piano symphonique, Lucerne: Im Klaviergeiste Mozarts with Alexandra Dovgan & Robin Ticciati

Alexandra Dovgan (Photo: Vladimir Volkov)

Mozart: Overture to La Clemenza di Tito, Piano Concerto No. 20, Bach: Toccata in E minor, Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor; Alexandra Dovgan, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Robin Ticciati; Le Piano Symphonique at KKL Luzern
Reviewed 14 January 2026

A change of soloist brings a refocusing of the programme, and allows 18-year-old Russian virtuoso Alexandra Dovgan to move from poised Mozart to dazzling textures in Chopin 

The third evening of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra's festival, Le Piano Symphonique at KKL Lucerne was intended to begin with Mozart conducted by Robin Ticciati including the D minor piano concerto, then move on to solo piano works by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Whatever programming logic there was to the evening was disturbed, however, by the illness of pianist Beatrice Rana. In the event, the concerto soloist Alexandra Dovgan took over the whole programme, bringing the evening to a close with Bach and Chopin.

We began with Mozart, the overture to La Clemenza di Tito with Robin Ticciati bringing out the incisive drama of the piece, the opening full of expectancy. There was plenty of fine detail alongside the drama. Whilst the solo wind passages were lovely indeed, the larger ensembles were somewhat too string dominated for my taste, however the orchestra and conductor brought thing to a conclusion with vivid brilliance.

The young Russian pianist Alexandra Dovgan is only 18, yet her approach to Mozart proved to be surprisingly mature and poised. As might be expected, Ticciati and the orchestra brought a serious sense of drama and intensity to the brooding orchestral introduction. By contrast, Dovgan's first entry was characterised by simplicity and clarity, and throughout the concerto she avoided big Romantic gestures. For all the orchestral sturm und drang, particularly in the development section, she projected cool poise and elegance. This sense of elegance continued with the slow movement. At first Dovgan's approach was very classical, but as the movement developed we had some serious fun too. There was a vivid directness to the finale, the vivacity of Dovgan's playing matched by the orchestra. On stage, Dovgan cut a poised and somewhat reticent figure, this image rather belied by her ability to pedal in killer heels.

After the interval, she returned with Bach's Toccata in E minor. The opening section was vibrant and strong, there was little sense of period style here. A neat and crisp fugal section revealed an inner strength and drama to Dovgan's playing, yet the music could be concentrated and rather romantic too. A vividly free rhapsodic section led to a final fugue which was fast with crisp finger work, dazzling and engaging to a vibrant climax. I would not want Bach played like this every time, but as a way of engaging an audience in a large concert hall with a big modern instrument, Dovgan showed that she had both style and capability.

She seemed perhaps on more familiar ground with Chopin's third piano sonata, though I felt that she rather concentrated on the beauty of the moment rather than the underlying structure. There was much to appreciate in her performance, and we should remember that she is only 18, with moments of sheer technical brilliance, but it was possible, at times, to forget that we were listening to a sonata. The first movement began briskly, with urgent, crisp rhythms. But then the pellucid right-hand melody brought out a sense of contrast, and throughout she highlighted the contrast between strength and drama, and delicate fluidity. The second movement was light and delicate yet fast and furious. The slow movement began with a dramatic gesture, leading to a mixture of quiet intensity and pellucid melody. The darkly controlled opening to the finale brought a suggestion of dark forces underneath the music, yet the vivid passage work overflowed this and carried us to an urgent conclusion.

We had an encore, a Chopin waltz and here Dovgan seemed truly in her element. 

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