88 keys, two distinctive musical voices and a Baroque setting where every note has time to resonate. Piano Day, the international celebration of the piano founded by Nils Frahm, returns to Spectaculare_14 with an exceptional line-up. Yehezkel Raz and Poppy Ackroyd will present two contrasting approaches to contemporary piano music at the Baroque Church of Sts. Simon and Jude – from intimate minimalism, silence and delicate sonic layers to rhythm, textures and physical exploration of the instrument itself. Both artists are also part of the Piano Day story: their compositions have been selected for its official collection alongside Ólafur Arnalds, Hania Rani and Jóhann Jóhannsson.

Yehezkel Raz builds his music from the smallest details. He allows delicate piano gestures to fade into silence, layers them with electronics and creates sonic worlds on the boundary between melody and abstraction. The Israeli composer, pianist and producer has travelled a musical path from violin through guitar to classical piano and electronic composition – a breadth of experience that now enables him to draw surprising depth from minimal means. Joining him is British composer Poppy Ackroyd, who takes a different approach, exploring just how many sounds can be drawn from a piano. Beyond the keys, she works with its strings, frame and percussive qualities, using piano and violin to construct intricate layers of rhythm, resonance and colour in her recent work.

The third protagonist of the evening will be the Church of Sts. Simon and Jude itself. This historic venue, where Mozart and Haydn once performed, allows silence, reverberation and the finest musical details to become just as powerful as the notes themselves. It is here that Spectaculare will host this year's celebration of Piano Day – an annual event held at the end of March to celebrate the endless possibilities of the 88-key instrument. Two pianists, two radically distinctive approaches and one space designed to let absolutely everything be heard.

The concert is part of the 14th edition of the multidisciplinary Spectaculare festival, taking place at various venues across Prague in March and April 2027. Tickets are already available at spectaculare.cz.

Piano Day Prague 2027
 Yehezkel Raz
Poppy Ackroyd
31 March 2027 – 19:00
Church of Sts. Simon and Jude