The 2025 Editorials

In ever more troubled times, music and literature are precious refuges, just as Nohant once was for George Sand and Frédéric Chopin. The Nohant Chopin Festival and its partners, chief among them the Centre des monuments nationaux, are delighted to work together to offer you exceptional, timeless moments with artists whose lives are entirely dedicated to their art, conscious of the privilege of being hosted at George Sand’s home, in this miraculously preserved place where the romantic spirit still resonates.

This 59th edition is not merely a step towards the Festival’s 60th anniversary. It is a particularly rich exploration of the theme chosen for 2025: “Chopin the European”. Chopin’s Europe is, above all, that of his contemporaries, artists, and friends (Liszt, Schumann), but also that of the composers who immediately preceded him (Beethoven, Schubert), and those for whom he paved the way (Debussy and Ravel, as well as Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, his distant heirs).

As every year, this European musical landscape will be brought to life by some of the greatest performers of our time, such as Arcadi Volodos, Rafal Blechacz, Barry Douglas, Dang Thai Son, and Michel Dalberto, alongside some of the most promising artists of the younger generation. Facing the audience, all will be dedicated to giving their very best on the stage of the Chopin Auditorium at the Domaine de George Sand in Nohant, where so many illustrious musicians have performed before them.

This year, we will pay special tribute to the great pianist Aldo Ciccolini, who was instrumental in the Festival’s origins. Born in Italy, he became French by adoption and by heart after winning the prestigious Marguerite Long International Competition in 1949. Aldo Ciccolini was utterly captivated by Nohant. He gave one of his last recitals there in June 2014 at the age of 89, reaffirming on that occasion that « the Nohant audience is the best in the world. »

We are also pleased to announce a major event for next year. In 2026, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Festival and the 150th anniversary of George Sand’s death, we are creating the First International Chopin Pleyel Piano Competition in Nohant. Twenty-four candidates, pre-selected from around the world, will compete before an international jury from Saturday, August 15, to Sunday, August 23, 2026, following the 60th edition of the Festival in June and July. This Competition is a joint initiative of the Centre des monuments nationaux, the Nohant Chopin Festival, and Pianos Pleyel—the maker that Chopin favoured from his arrival in France until his death.

While awaiting these 2026 festivities, we look forward to seeing you in Nohant, from June 7 to July 23, to share this 59th edition, which already promises to be exceptional.

Thank you for your presence, your trust, and your loyalty.

Enjoy the 2025 Festival!
Yves Henry
President of the Nohant Chopin Festival

As is well known, while Chopin was Polish through his mother, he was French through his father and his culture; his entire body of work reflects this, from the moment he made Paris his home base in the autumn of 1831.

But beyond France and its masters, such as François Couperin, whom he resembles in his finely crafted art, Chopin invites us to a true « concert of nations » through his diverse influences: from the Germany of Bach and his Well-Tempered Clavier, to the Austria of Mozart and his operas, and the Italy of the bel canto of his friend Bellini, who passed away all too soon.

Chopin’s Europe, therefore, is the Europe of these geniuses, among whom we must also count those of his own time: Mendelssohn, Schumann, Alkan, Berlioz, Bellini, and of course, Liszt. But it also includes other artists—Delacroix, Pauline Viardot, who would come to Nohant—and poets like Heine and Mickiewicz, the latter an exile like Chopin, all of whom admired his art.

Together, they form the European constellation that will radiate around this incomparable star.

The many artists invited to Nohant will illustrate the richness of European Romanticism, including: Arcadi Volodos, Yves Henry, Vahan Mardirossian and the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Rafal Blechacz, Lucas Debargue, Aurélien Pascal and Sélim Mazari, Barry Douglas, Michel Dalberto, the Trio Pantoum, Dang Thai Son, Sophia Liu, Joseph Moog, Szymon Nehring, Martin Kasik and the Trio Il Pavone, Dmitry Ablogin and Philippe Bianconi ; the new generation that the Nohant Chopin Festival delights in showcasing, including laureates of recent international prizes, Jan Jakub Zielinski, Rodolphe Menguy, Mathis Cathignol, Vincent Ong, and the 2025 Cortot Prize winner ; not to mention the eminent writers and musicologists: Bruno Monsaingeon, Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, Karol Beffa and Jean-Yves Patte.

A tribute will be paid to the great pianist Aldo Ciccolini on the 100th anniversary of his birth, in the presence of Pascal Le Corre and Paul Blacher.

Jean-Yves Clément
Musical and Literary Advisor