From 4 May to 10 June 2026, the Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar) hosted the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition for cello. It was the third edition of the competition for cello and the 75th edition of the competition overall. Moreover, the competition coincided with the 150th anniversary of the birth of both the legendary Belgian Queen and the equally legendary cellist Pablo Casals.
Here’s the playlist:
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Cello Concerto, Op. 22: allegro moderato, andante sostenuto en molto allegro e appassionato
Leland Ko & Belgian National Orchestra conducted by Antony Hermus
Josef Suk (1874-1935)
Ballade, Op. 3
Clara Dietlin: cello, Antoine de Grolée: piano
Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)
Cellosonate Nr. 1: largo, presto, largo
Maria Zaitseva: cello, Maria Zaitseva senior: piano
Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
Cellosonate: andante molto sostenuto, allegretto con moto en allegro molto
Leland Ko: cello, Adria Ye: piano
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
Capriccio per Siegfried Palm
Lionel Martin: cello
Harold Noben (°1978)
Caffeine (set work)
Krzysztof Michalski
György Ligeti (1923-2006)
Sonate voor solo cello: 1. Dialogo, 2. Capriccio
Dishod Narzillaev
Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023)
Lullaby
Andrew Ilhoon Byun: cello
Leland Ko
Clara Dietlin
Krzysztof Michalski
Lionel Martin
