Interview with Ariel Lanyi

"I am somewhat skeptical of rituals."

In March 2023, Ariel Lanyi was awarded the Prix Serdang, a Swiss prize presented by the renowned Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder . The prize, worth 50,000 Swiss francs, is not a competition but rather a recognition of the achievements of young pianists and an investment in their future. Previously, Ariel won third prize at the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition, where he performed Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 in the final with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Manze. That same year, he was a winner of the Young Classical Artists Trust International Auditions. Recent highlights include his return to Wigmore Hall and the Miami International Piano Festival, as well as his debut appearances with the Vancouver Recital Society, the Nottingham International Piano Series, the Alte Oper Frankfurt, and Merkin Hall in New York. As a concert pianist, Ariel has performed with various orchestras, including the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

How did you come to play the piano?
My parents aren't musicians themselves, but they are enthusiastic music lovers. Therefore, music was always present in our home, and I was exposed to it from a very young age. It was quite natural that I wanted to make music myself. I was never forced to play the piano; it was something that developed organically, and I was very fortunate to receive a comprehensive musical education that also included studying violin, composition, and jazz. However, my strength has always clearly been the piano.

Which composer holds special significance for you and why?
Many composers are very important to me. Regarding the composers on my new album: Mozart has always been an integral part of my musical life. He is a composer whose music, in almost every genre he composed, inspires me with endless admiration and inspiration.

You won the Prix Serdang in 2023. How has this award changed your life?
The Prix Serdang has opened up numerous opportunities for me. Between a concert with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and numerous other engagements in Europe, this was a turning point in my career. It is a great honor to be recognized by a musician of Rudolf Buchbinder , and it was a great pleasure to meet him at the impressive Villa Serdang.

Do you have any particular rituals before a performance?
I try to get as much sleep as possible, but otherwise I'm a bit skeptical about rituals... I've tried to adopt a few, but I can't really commit to one.

What was your most extraordinary experience during a performance?
That was probably my first performance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra: for some reason, I thought I was going to play half an hour late, and two minutes before, the stage manager nervously knocked on my door, having just seen me getting out of the shower, and informed me that the orchestra was already tuning on stage. I put on my suit without properly combing my hair and rushed down the stairs to the stage...

What are your next projects?
I'm currently preparing the repertoire for some concert programs I'll be presenting over the next two seasons, including a return to the Diabelli Variations.

You're still young, what are your career goals?
My goal is to make the repertoire, which is very important to me, accessible to the widest possible audience.

What are your passions besides music?
My greatest passion besides music is literature. It has fascinated me since my youth. I read mainly, but not exclusively, fiction and am constantly fascinated by the connections between music and the written word, so much so that I sometimes even look for them in places where they don't necessarily exist...

Interview by Florian Schär | Classicpoint.net | October 1, 2025
© Image: Kaupo Kikkas