Debut with Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra

Maxim’s debut concerts of Brahms 1 with FrankfurtOpera and Museum Orchestra together with Cornelius Meister at Alte Oper Frankfurt were a resounding success.

“A star is born. His name is Maxim Lando” - Frankfurter Neue Press. “

“He presented himself with a virtuoso and phenomenal quality” “It was the perfect start to the season” - Frankfurter Rundschau.

“Maxim Lando, sat down at the piano as if he were simply meeting an old friend. No tension, no trace of that stiff "I'm about to play a work of the century" attitude. Just simply: making music. Period.” - Online Merker.

“Maxim Lando is a pianist with outstanding technique and tremendous expressiveness.” - Bechstein World

From ONLINE MERKER by Dirk Schauß, September 30, 2025 (Google English translation)

FRANKURT/ Alte Oper: Concert of the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra under Cornelius Meister with Maxim Lando

Sometimes it catches you off guard: You're sitting in a concert, half expectant, half skeptical, and suddenly you realize—whoa, that sounds completely different than expected. That's what happened on Monday evening at Frankfurt's Alte Oper. Brahms's first piano concerto was on the program, that monster that has brought beads of sweat to the brows of generations of pianists. And of all people, a 23-year-old American, Maxim Lando, sat down at the piano as if he were simply meeting an old friend. No tension, no trace of that stiff "I'm about to play a work of the century" attitude. Just simply: making music. Period.

And then came Maxim Lando, who was already pounding on the keys at the age of three and acted here in Frankfurt as if there was nothing more natural than taming this monstrous work. He's a pianist who doesn't just play, but reaches out, grasps, and thinks orchestrally. His articulation was crystal clear. His stamina seemed limitless. The Bechstein grand piano he played had this overtone-rich, direct sound that blended brilliantly with the orchestra—not the velvety smoothness of a Steinway, but something sharper, more radiant. It was a perfect fit. Cornelius Meister at the helm – currently still GMD in Stuttgart, here as a guest – opened the evening with a decisive gesture. No hesitant introduction, no convoluted romanticism. Crisp chords, precise, to the point. The Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra (recently named "Orchestra of the Year 2025" by Opernwelt magazine, and yes, you could hear why) followed with a force that immediately made it clear: This isn't just a revelry, this is a place for reflection and narrative.

And then: Lando. His first theme in the Allegro maestoso, deep, almost rumbling, was not presented as a heroic statement, but rather tentatively – like someone watching an idea take shape. Things got truly interesting in the lyrical secondary theme, in E-flat major. Most pianists see a grand melody there, dreaming away. But Lando heard architecture. He modeled voices, freely constructed the contrapuntal framework, thus demonstrating: This is how Brahms thinks. A risky approach, because it doesn't aim for immediate effect. But – it carried.

Lando played the Adagio, a secret declaration of love to Clara Schumann, like a prayer: intimate, poetic, a bit like a watercolor slowly filling with water. At the same time, Meister created a sonic environment that breathed balance. Woodwinds sang, the strings laid out their carpet, and then these cellos, these basses, sublimely underpinning the whole – wonderful. Lando's delicate details were captured exemplary by Meister on the podium.

Then, in the finale: pure energy. Brahms's wild rondo became a celebration. Lando played with orchestral access, rhythmically brutally precise, but without harshness. His cadenza was a mini-lesson in motivic work – themes flashed, linked, and dissolved again. And he allowed himself to be celebrated, not arrogantly, but generously. As extensive encores, he hurled two insane pieces into the hall: Rossini's "Barber" Overture, which in his version seemed almost like a Tom and Jerry chase, and then the second half of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." Casual, playful. The audience went wild, shouting with enthusiasm. No wonder.

From FRANKFURTER NEUE PRESSE by Manfred Merz September 29, 2025

A Demigod at the Keys The pianist Maxim Lando with the Museum Orchestra at the Alte Oper

Frankfurt – A star is born. His name is Maxim Lando. The American becomes a demigod at the piano, if he isn’t one already. What the 22-year-old conjures from the grand piano at the season opener of the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra at the Alte Oper is already one of the highlights of the still-young season.

Lando gives Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 in d minor a devilish touch. The mixture of lively precision and youthful energy immediately captivates. Contrary to every pianist's rule, the artist does not sit properly at the piano but rather on the edge of the piano bench, slightly above the keyboard. His forearms never form a parallel to the ground; his elbows are too high, preventing a right angle between forearm and upper arm. His shoulders are slightly hunched forward, not relaxed.

From above, with his nose over the middle D, Lando dives into the keys. This time, they belong not to a Steinway but to a Bechstein piano, which has a slightly harder treble than its more famous counterpart. This suits the energetic playing of the virtuoso, especially in the outer movements. In the slow and delicate middle section, the instrument lacks a bit of sentimental warmth.

The encores become a sensation. A jazzed-up, highly difficult, and fast Shostakovich leaves mouths agape. Then, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin in a dazzling version, which, despite its emphasis, is full of sensitivity. Both arrangements are credited to the pianist, earning him a laurel wreath for his masterful improvisation skills. Magnificent!

The Stuttgart General Music Director Cornelius Meister shows empathy during his guest appearance at the podium, leading the flawlessly performing orchestra to a pulsating peak performance. Not only in Brahms but also in the fourth symphony by Dvořák, which follows after the intermission, the devil is let loose. The first movement rumbles, the Andante luxuriates, the Scherzo scurries, and the final Allegro, with its block-like structure, sounds like a Bauhaus construction looks: simple and straightforward.