Program Information

Jonathan Fournel has quickly emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation, praised for playing that combines power, clarity, lyricism, and poetic insight. Winner of the Grand Prix, Queen Mathilde Prize at the 2021 Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition, he has since appeared at major halls and festivals including the Concertgebouw, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonie de Paris, Verbier Festival, and Suntory Hall. His Halifax program brings together four major voices of the keyboard repertoire, with Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, Schubert’s Four Impromptus, Op. 90, Chopin’s Ballade No. 4, and Liszt’s expansive Sonata in B minor. The program ranges from Bach’s tightly constructed variations and fugue to Schubert’s lyrical Impromptus, Chopin’s dramatic Fourth Ballade, and Liszt’s single-movement Sonata, one of the defining works of the Romantic piano repertoire. Fournel’s recent recordings for Alpha Classics, including albums devoted to Brahms, Mozart, Chopin, and Szymanowski, have received major critical acclaim.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
arr. for piano

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Four Impromptus, D. 899, Op. 90
I. No. 1 in C minor: Allegro molto moderato
II. No. 2 in E-flat major: Allegro
III. No. 3 in G-flat major: Andante
IV. No. 4 in A-flat major: Allegretto

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Sonata in B minor, S. 178

Artist Biography

Jonathan Fournel, piano

Jonathan Fournel rose to prominence on the international scene in the spring of 2021, winning the much-coveted Grand Prix–Queen Mathilde Prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition. “A natural, musical and poetic playing in Mozart’s 18th concerto, performed with majestic purity and lyricism, as well as Brahms’ Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, led with intensity and an unquestionable sense of storytelling,” wrote Marie-Aude Roux in Le Monde. A few years earlier, Jonathan achieved first prizes at the Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow and the International Viotti Competition in Vercelli.

Jonathan began studying piano at age seven in his hometown of Sarreguemines in eastern France before entering the Strasbourg Conservatoire. At 12, he was admitted to the Saarbrücken Musikhochschule in Germany, where he studied with Prof. Robert Leonardy and Jean Micault. Around this time, he also began working with pianist Gisèle Magnan, from whom Jonathan received mentorship for years. At 16, he entered the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique, studying with Brigitte Engerer, Bruno Rigutto, Claire Désert, and Michel Dalberto, and graduated with honors five years later. In September 2016, Jonathan joined Louis Lortie and Avo Kouyoumdjian’s class at Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth in Belgium for five years.

What stands out most in Fournel’s playing, besides his stunning technique and extraordinary spectrum of colors, is the balanced mix of exquisite refinement and wild instinct, his natural lyricism, and the bright clarity of his interpretations, which shine light on details with a deeply mature understanding of the music. These qualities extend seamlessly into his chamber music collaborations, where he has worked with distinguished musicians such as Gautier Capuçon, Augustin Dumay, Lorenzo Gatto, Victor Julien-Laferrière, Simone Lamsma, Kerson Leong, and Vassilena Serafimova, among others.

He is a guest at prestigious venues and festivals including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, NDR Landesfunkhaus Hannover, Rheingau Musik Festival, Klavier Festival Ruhr, Konzerthaus Vienna, Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Auditorium de Radio France, Louis Vuitton Foundation, La Roque d’Anthéron Festival, Piano aux Jacobins Festival, Les Concerts de Poche, Verbier Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Sala Verdi Milan, Suntory Hall, Kioi Hall Tokyo, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Flagey, Bozar Brussels, de Bijloke Gent, Louisiana Museum Denmark, Kumho Art Hall Seoul, Tongyeong Concert Hall, Sala São Paulo, Warsaw Philharmonic, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and Usher Hall Edinburgh.

Jonathan has performed under the baton of conductors such as Alexandre Bloch, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Thomas Dausgaard, Stéphane Denève, Sascha Goetzel, Howard Griffiths, Jonathon Heyward, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Gabor Kali, Lio Kuokman, Alexander Markovic, Peter Oundjian, Daniel Raiskin, Pascal Rophé, Michael Schønwandt, Fan Tao, and Hugh Wolff. He has collaborated with orchestras including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Macao Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestre National de Bordeaux, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National de Montpellier, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Brussels Philharmonic, Belgian National Orchestra, European Union Youth Orchestra, NOSPR Katowice, Slovak Philharmonic, and the Croatian Radio and Television Orchestra.

Signed to the multi-Gramophone prize-winning label Alpha Classics, Fournel released a Brahms album in October 2021 to rave reviews from major international media. In France, the album was awarded the Diapason Découverte and Télérama’s ffff. His Mozart album, featuring Concertos 18 and 21 with the Mozarteum Orchester and Howard Griffiths, was released in February 2024 as part of the New Generation Mozart Soloists collection sponsored by the Orpheum Stiftung and received great critical acclaim. Jonathan’s second solo album on Alpha Classics, released in August 2024, is dedicated to Chopin and Szymanowski. The album received the Choc Classica award in France and widespread critical praise.

Jonathan has been the artistic director of Les Songes Musicaux Festival de Saulnois since 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I receive my tickets?
Electronic tickets are emailed immediately after purchase to the email address used at checkout. Please keep your tickets handy on your smart phone or bring a printed copy with you to the concert so we can scan them at the door. If you do not receive your tickets, please check your spam or junk folder, as ticket emails are sometimes blocked or filtered by email providers. You may also wish to search your inbox for “Cecilia Concerts” or your order confirmation. If you still cannot find your tickets, please contact the Cecilia Concerts office before the concert and we’ll be happy to help. Rest assured, if you purchased tickets, your name will also be on our guest list at the door.

What time should I arrive?
Doors open at 7:00pm, and the concert begins at 7:30pm. We recommend arriving a little early so you have time to have your ticket scanned, find a seat, and get settled before the performance begins.

Can I arrive late?
Latecomers will be seated at an appropriate break in the performance, when possible. To avoid disruption to the artists and audience, we recommend arriving before the concert begins.

How long is the concert?
The approximate running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission.

What is the seating like?
Tickets are general admission. The Stage at St. Andrew’s has unassigned seating, with chairs on the main floor and pews in the balcony. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Bravo Premium subscription holders have reserved access to seating within the first five rows. Please note that the balcony is accessible by stairs only. Wheelchair-accessible seating and companion seating are available on the main floor. If you have an accessibility-related seating need, please let us know when you arrive.

Are children welcome?
Yes, children are always welcome. Please keep in mind that this is a full-length concert in a traditional concert setting. Families may wish to choose seats close to a door in case a quick exit is needed during the performance.

What should I know about concert etiquette?
If you are new to classical concerts, you are very welcome. We simply ask that audience members help create a quiet and respectful environment for the artists and those around them. Please silence your phone before the concert begins, avoid talking during the performance, and wait for pauses between pieces to move around when possible.

When should I clap?
It is always fine to clap when a full piece has ended. Some longer works have several movements, with short pauses in between, and audiences usually wait until the entire work is finished before applauding. If you are unsure, it is perfectly okay to wait and follow the rest of the audience.

Can I use my phone during the concert?
Please silence your phone before the concert begins. We ask that phones and bright screens not be used during the performance, as they can be distracting to artists and audience members.

Can I take photos or videos?
Photos are welcome before or after the concert. Unless otherwise announced, photography, audio recording, and video recording are not permitted during the performance.

What accessibility features are available?
The Stage at St. Andrews is wheelchair accessible and includes accessible washrooms with ramp access. Companion seating is available if required. If you have a specific accessibility question before attending, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Is the venue scent-sensitive?
To help make the concert comfortable for everyone, we ask guests to avoid wearing strong scents or fragrances.

Is there parking or public transit nearby?
The Stage at St. Andrews is located on the corner of Robie Street and Coburg Road. There is no parkade at the venue, but street parking is available in the surrounding area. The venue is also located near major South End Halifax Transit routes.

What happens if there is a storm?
If a storm may affect a performance, ticket holders are encouraged to call the Cecilia Concerts office at 902-423-0143 for a recorded concert update. Updates will also be posted on the Cecilia Concerts website and social media channels.

What happens if a concert is changed, postponed, or cancelled?
Concert schedule changes are very rare, but storms or other unexpected circumstances may occasionally require us to make adjustments. If a concert is changed, postponed, or cancelled, ticket holders will be contacted as soon as possible with available options. Depending on the circumstances, you may choose to attend the rescheduled concert, receive a credit toward a future Cecilia Concerts performance, request a refund, or convert the value of your ticket into a charitable donation tax receipt.