Paphos, Cyprus. Pianist and composer Florian Christl will open the Minthis Music Festival 2026 on July 8 at the Minthis Amphitheatre in rural Paphos. The Munich-based musician is currently touring Europe with his ensemble and will perform music from his Resonance tour programme.
Festival opening performance
The Minthis Music Festival 2026 will run for five evenings until July 12. Christl said he was excited to inaugurate the festival and noted that it will be his first time in Cyprus.
“I am very excited to inaugurate the Minthis Music Festival 2026,” he said. “It will be my first time ever in Cyprus and playing my music in this beautiful setting of the festival. I cannot wait!”
Programme and musical style
Along with his ensemble, Christl will present a selection of his own compositions. He described his music as contemporary while maintaining a strong connection to the Romantic period.
“My music embodies both,” he said. “It is contemporary, but with a deep connection to the Romantic period.
“I love gentle pieces where you simply follow the harmony and melody, but I also love to play music which has energy in it. Other times, I write music which is just fun to play. I think if we have fun playing the music, it will definitely be fun for the audience to listen to.”
Performance and setting
Christl said the setting becomes part of each performance, whether he is playing at venues such as Konzerthaus Berlin and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg or at an outdoor amphitheatre in Cyprus.
“I never play a piece exactly the same way twice, because that’s not a goal I pursue. I try to engage with the occasion or environment, absorb the mood and shape the music accordingly. The music is always in flux. When one becomes aware of this, a piece can be brought to life in any given situation. It is not about adapting the repertoire, but adapting how to perform the music.”
Early performances in public spaces
Before his international touring career, Christl performed in unusual public locations by attaching wheels to a piano and moving it to outdoor settings, including the Alps and parks.
“I built a wagon and strolled my old piano around everywhere. I pushed it to the Alps, on mountains, in beautiful parks. I was always looking for special places where people won’t expect a piano.”
He said the experience taught him about how people interact with music and how music can resonate in different environments.
Path to the piano
Christl said his first interest was not the piano but the accordion. He began learning basic musical skills on the piano before moving forward.
“I didn’t really choose the piano by myself. I somehow got into it by mistake, and I’m very happy about that,” he said. “I wanted to learn the accordion, but before I was allowed to start, I had to learn the very first musical steps – the scales, how to read notes – on the piano.”