Prix Radu Lupu

5 days from now

La Cité Bleue Genève

The Cité Bleue is honoured to host the second edition of the Radu Lupu Prize, a tribute to the legendary Romanian pianist who passed away in 2022. This edition is particularly significant, as 30 November 2025 would have marked the 80th birthday of this exceptional performer. Renowned for his deeply introspective and poetic approach, Radu Lupu made his mark on music history with his inimitable interpretations of works by Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. His playing, with its rare expressive intensity, inspired several generations of musicians and continues to fuel the imagination of many performers today. This year, the 2025 Radu Lupu Prize was awarded to the young cellist Maxime Grizard, whose musical maturity, depth of expression and artistic sensitivity are in keeping with the spiritual legacy of the great pianist. Trained at the Zurich University of the Arts with Thomas Grossenbacher, after a remarkable career at the Paris Conservatoire, Maxime Grizard has established himself as one of the most promising figures of the new generation of instrumentalists. He will be accompanied on the piano by Vsevolod Zavidov, winner of the first edition of the Radu Lupu Prize, for a recital that promises to be a vibrant tribute to one of the greatest performers of the 20th century. Together, they will bring to life at La Cité Bleue the spirit of listening, freedom and poetry that was at the heart of Radu Lupu's art.     The winner of the 2025 Radu Lupu Prize: Maxime Grizard Born in 2006, Maxime has been studying the cello for ten years with Claire Oppert and the piano with Roustem Saïtkoulov, both of whom have had a profound influence on his musical development. Since September 2025, he has been studying at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in Thomas Grossenbacher's class, after spending two years at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) in Emmanuelle Bertrand's class. He has also benefited from the advice of Steven Isserlis, Nicolas Alstaedt, Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Anne Gastinel, Kian Soltani, Ivan Monighetti, Kirill Gerstein and Gábor Takács-Nagy. He has taken part in several prestigious academies, including the Verbier Festival Academy, the Geneva International String Academy, the Seiji Ozawa International Academy, as well as masterclasses in Liechtenstein, Villecroze and Kronberg. In 2022, Maxime represented France in the final of the Eurovision Young Musicians competition in Montpellier, and in 2024, he won second prize at the Buchet International Cello Competition in Belgium. Maxime has had the opportunity to perform in venues such as the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Minsk Philharmonic Hall, and the UNESCO Grand Auditorium, and has been invited to festivals such as the Viotti Festival in Italy, the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival in France, Kazinika Dienas in Latvia, and many others. Since December 2024, Maxime Grizard has been playing a 1696 Gioffredo Cappa cello on loan from Mécénat Musical Société Générale. In January 2025, Maxime made his debut at the Tonhalle in Zurich, performing Dvořák's concerto with the Bodensee Philharmonie Konstanz, conducted by Gabriel Venzago. Maxime regularly performs in duo with pianist Roustem Saïtkoulov, and in trio with pianist Alexandra Dovgan and violinist Ilva Eigus. He also performs in duo with his brother, organist Alexis Grizard. Eager to share his art and his passion for music with different audiences, Maxime regularly plays for elderly people in nursing homes and hospitals, as well as for young people in middle and high schools.   PROGRAMME Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) Suite for solo cello No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1012 Claude Debussy (1862–1918) Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, L. 135 Franz Schubert (1797–1828) Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D. 821 Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) Une Larme, from Péchés de vieillesse – Theme and variations for cello and piano   PRE-CONCERT SUN 30.11.25 at 4pm Presentation of the concert by Philippe Cassard   In cooperation with the Radu Lupu Foundation All credits and acknowledgements can be found at lacitebleue.ch