Brad Mehldau & Kirill Gerstein

Brucknerfest Linz 2026. In Dialogue.

Two outstanding pianists, two instruments, two musical worlds, classical music and jazz, and an evening in which the boundaries between them merge. Jazz superstar and Grammy Award winner Brad Mehldau, probably the "most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years" (New York Times), has left his mark on modern jazz with interpretations that combine intellect, emotion and structure. Equally adept at classical music and jazz, Kirill Gerstein is celebrated for his dynamic artistry and curiosity in imaginatively combining different musical voices. "I immediately felt instinctively drawn into his musical language," says Kirill Gerstein about Brad Mehldau. He in turn responds: "He is a virtuoso with an astonishingly large and versatile repertoire ... but he is much more than that." Together, Mehldau and Gerstein blur the boundaries between genres, eras and traditions in a musical dialog that is both profoundly intellectual and stirringly human.