Arthur Jussen

Lucas and Arthur Jussen are among the most sought-after piano duos of our time. Given their illustrious international careers, it is fair to say the Jussen brothers (born 1993 and 1996) are the Netherland’s pre-eminent ambassadors for classical music. With their energetic, almost symbiotic playing, their great refinement of sound, and gripping interpretations, they are praised vigorously by press and audiences alike. “It is like driving a pair of BMWs”, exclaimed conductor Michael Schønwandt about the two pianists after directing them in concert. The Jussen brothers have performed with orchestras internationally, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Concertgebouworkest, Budapest Festival Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. They collaborate with the renowned conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Iván Fischer, Sir Neville Marriner, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nezét-Séguin, Jukka-Pekka Saraste und Jaap van Zweden. In the 2024/25 season, the Jussen brothers will be Artists in Residence at the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, performing multiple programmes there. Other highlights of the season include concerts in Leipzig and then a European tour with the Gewandhausorchester. In addition to their debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic, reinvitations will take the Jussens back to perform with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Bamberger Symphoniker, Dresdner Philharmonie, Bergen Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony, and Warsaw Philharmonic. They will also be performing with the Wiener Kammerorchester at the Konzerthaus Wien. Together with the Brasilian youth Orchestra of Neojibá, they perform the captivating work ‘Nazareno’ by Argentinian Osvaldo Golijov in tour concerts in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands and in June 2025, they return to Asia for multiple concerts with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. In recital, they can be heard in Paris, Amsterdam, the Hague, London, Rome, Naples, Zürich, Mannheim, Stuttgart, and Potsdam, among others. Recording exclusively with Deutsche Grammophon since 2010, their debut recording of works by Beethoven received platinum status and was awarded the Edison Klassiek audience award. Following a Schubert album and ‘Jeux’, a recording of French piano music, in 2015 their recording of Mozart’s piano concertos KV 365 and KV 242 together with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Sir Neville Marriner was released and the album reached gold status. The Jussen brothers also recorded Poulenc’s double piano concerto and Saint-Saëns’ ‘The Carnival of the Animals’ with the Concertgebouworkest and Stéphane Denève, and in 2019 they released a recording of concertos and chorales by Bach with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. On ‘The Russian Album’ (2021) they interpret works for two pianos by Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, and Arensky. The latest addition to their discography is ‘Dutch Masters’ (April 2022) which is devoted to works by Dutch composers, in collaboration with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. The recording was awarded an Edison Klassiek, as well as the audience award. Lucas and Arthur received their first piano lessons in their native town of Hilversum. As children, they were invited to perform for the Dutch Queen Beatrix; and distinctions and awards in competitions followed. In 2005, the brothers met the Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires. During the following years they took lessons from both Pires and renowned Dutch teachers. Lucas completed his studies with Menahem Pressler in the US and with Dmitri Bashkirov in Madrid. Arthur graduated from the Amsterdam Conservatory, where he studied with Jan Wijn. Photo: Jesaja Hizkia