Five concerts at the Jazzbühne Lech
A festival of musical innovation and diversity in August.
LECH When the doors of Lechwelten open from 12 to 16 August, Lech will become a center for contemporary jazz, cross-style music projects and sonic journeys of discovery. Founded in 2015 out of pure passion for music, the Jazzbühne Lech is celebrating its tenth edition with a program that is as international as it is innovative, driven by quality, authenticity and a deep artistic attitude.
Five evenings - five worlds of sound
It all starts on August 12 with an extraordinary duo: Sebastian Studnitzky, award-winning multi-instrumentalist from Berlin, meets Andrii Pokaz, Ukraine's leading jazz pianist.
In the midst of "challenging and life-changing times", a musical dialog beyond all genre boundaries has emerged between Berlin and Odessa: quiet, searching, eruptive, permeated by Ukrainian motifs, jazzy sound textures and compositional depth. When Pokaz opens the evening with floating chords and Studnitzky responds with breathy trumpet lines, a sound language of existential intensity emerges. Their music is not only an expression of virtuosity, but also of hope and artistic solidarity.
On August 13, Abuzar Manafzade, an exceptional talent from Azerbaijan, will take to the stage. Pianist, conductor, composer - Manafzade combines classical craftsmanship with rhythmic fire and ethnic depth in his playing. The Vienna-based musician, who has conducted the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra among others, draws on the richness of his origins in his solo recital: jazz influences, traditional modes from the Caucasus, Western classical music and his own compositions flow into one another. His solo recital promises a musical journey between worlds - virtuosic, full of emotion and of astonishing maturity.
A poetic highlight from Finland follows on August 14 with the Ida Alanen Trio. The young pianist composes impressionistic soundscapes that oscillate between the waking state and dreams. Together with Jonathan Bäckström (double bass) and Benjamin Nylund (drums), she creates atmospheric soundscapes in which structure and improvisation, melancholy and light intertwine. Her debut album Awake Asleep, which was produced in Dolby Atmos, received great international acclaim. The trio was recently celebrated as a finalist at the Euroradio Jazz Competition in Marciac. In Lech, the audience can expect an intimate sound journey - subtle, artistic and contemporary.
Tradition meets innovation
The Rembrandt Frerichs Trio from the Netherlands will be exploring sound spaces between baroque instrument culture and jazzy improvisation on August 15. Frerichs himself plays a fortepiano based on a historical model, Tony Overwater plays the violone, an 18th century bass instrument, and Vinsent Planjer plays the "Whisper Kit", a custom-made drum set. Their music transforms Herbie Hancock, Bach and their own compositions into a dialog of the times - fresh, lively, experimental. The jazz stage becomes an acoustic workshop, an archeology of sound with a futuristic view. The big band Lech will close the festival on August 16. This year's performance will be enhanced by a special guest: Reinhold Bilgeri, the "rock professor" from Vorarlberg, expands the evening's jazz spectrum with his unmistakable style. Between the big band sound, improvisation and Bilgeri's presence, you can look forward to a final evening that breaks down musical boundaries and is a commitment to regional and international music-making.
Over five evenings, Jazzbühne Lech 2025 brings together musical visionaries, cultural bridge builders and passionate artistic personalities. What began in 2015 as a project of the heart is now a festival beyond the big cities, but right in the center of the artistic now. Every concert evening starts at 9 pm.