Queen Elisabeth Competition: Cello 2026 (Live)

This box set from the third cello session of the Queen Elisabeth Competition brings together the 12 prize-winners who offered audiences exceptional musical moments throughout the competition.

It opens with the concertos performed by the first four laureates. As tradition dictates, the programme begins with Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto performed by First Prize winner Ettore Pagano, followed by Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto performed by Second Prize winner Tae-Yeon Kim. These are followed by Barber’s Cello Concerto performed by Third Prize winner Leland Ko and Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto performed by Fourth Prize winner Álvaro Lozano Cames.

A full disc of chamber music extends the journey, ranging from Josef Suk to Kaija Saariaho, and featuring Harold Noben’s compulsory work alongside other highlights from the competition.

The programme then returns to the orchestral repertoire with concertos by Anton Kraft and Leopold Hofmann, before concluding with Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers by Fang Man, the compulsory work of the final round.

Beyond the prize list itself, this album reflects the richness of an edition marked by the broadening of repertoire, the curiosity of its performers, and the extraordinary diversity of musical personalities gathered in Brussels. A vivid testament to the art of cello playing today.