Julius Asal (piano) – exclusive artist of Deutsche Grammophon) – General Management –
Biography, Audio/Video, Photos, Discography
www.julius-asal.com/
Biography
Praised by Menahem Pressler for his “uniquely beautiful sound and special sonority“, German pianist Julius Asal is quickly establishing himself as one of the promising performers of his generation.
In October 2023, Deutsche Grammophon announced Julius Asal as one of its new exclusive recording artists. The following year, he was selected by BBC Radio 3 as a New Generation Artist for a two-year collaboration, and named Rising Star 2024 by Classic FM.
Performing at many of the world’s most prestigious venues, Julius Asal has appeared at Wigmore Hall London, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Seoul Arts Center, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Oxford Piano Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Davos Festival, Musikverein Vienna, and Suntory Hall Tokyo.
In 2025, he received the Terence Judd–Hallé Award, making his recital debuts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre and Kadoma Lumiere Hall in Osaka, Alte Oper Frankfurt, and appearing as soloist with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the BBC Concert Orchestra, Munich Symphonic Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
In October 2023, Deutsche Grammophon announced Julius Asal as one of its new exclusive recording artists. The following year, he was selected by BBC Radio 3 as a New Generation Artist for a two-year collaboration, and named Rising Star 2024 by Classic FM.
Performing at many of the world’s most prestigious venues, Julius Asal has appeared at Wigmore Hall London, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Seoul Arts Center, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Oxford Piano Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Davos Festival, Musikverein Vienna, and Suntory Hall Tokyo.
In 2025, he received the Terence Judd–Hallé Award, making his recital debuts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre and Kadoma Lumiere Hall in Osaka, Alte Oper Frankfurt, and appearing as soloist with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the BBC Concert Orchestra, Munich Symphonic Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Another highlight of 2025 was his remarkable last-minute appearance, stepping in for Evgeny Kissin to perform Scriabin’s Piano Concerto Op. 20 with the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, under the baton of Andrey Boreyko.
Forthcoming engagements include performances at the Wigmore Hall, Vancouver Playhouse, and Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, as well as returns to the Klavier-Festival Ruhr and solo appearances with the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, and the Bremen Philharmonic.
In August 2025, Deutsche Grammophon released Asal’s latest album, !Siena Tapes”, an imaginative fusion of Maurice Ravel’s compositions and Asal’s own improvisations. The album was recorded near Siena at the private estate of legendary U.S. producer Rick Rubin.
The label also issued Scriabin’s Piano Concerto on October 24, featuring Asal as soloist with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi.
His Deutsche Grammophon debut album, “Scriabin–Scarlatti”, released in May 2024, has already surpassed 25 million streams worldwide.
In 2024, Asal contributed an improvisation to the U.S. campaign for World Sleep Day, and on World Piano Day 2024, Deutsche Grammophon released Gustav Holst’s “Mars” in Asal’s newly arranged version, which expanded the composer’s original two-piano score into a three-piano adaptation.
Asal’s first commercial recording, released in spring 2022 on the Spanish label IBS Classical, featured works by Sergei Prokofiev alongside his own transcriptions from the ballet Romeo and Juliet and received widespread international acclaim.
Improvisation—and the resulting spontaneous, almost native fluency with the instrument—is a hallmark of his artistry. This quality was on vivid display in his 2024 debut at the Seoul Arts Center and during Deutsche Grammophon’s Yellow Lounge in October 2023, where he stepped in at short notice, captivating audiences with a unique blend of classical repertoire and improvisation.
The French newspaper Le Monde has described his performances and programming as possessing a “captivating strangeness,” writing under the headline: “The Secret and Subtle Alliances of Julius Asal.”
Audio/Video
Discography
photos: Michael Reinicke
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e-singles
photos: Michael Reinicke
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photos: Michael Reinicke
Photos
