J O Y Summer Festival 14 August – 13 September 2020 Program
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Dear Music Lovers,
W
hat’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Ludwig van Beethoven, whose 250th birthday we celebrate in 2020? Perhaps the “Ode to Joy”? That makes sense. The concept of joy as a divine feeling (“the bright spark of the gods”) was a leitmotif for Beethoven. He viewed himself as a bringer of fire, a messenger whose music was meant to ignite this divine spark. Beethoven wanted to bring joy to suffering humanity through his art, to unite those who were divided. He used Schiller’s famous verses to underscore this joy: “Your magic binds together, / what custom so sternly set apart; / all humans become brothers, / where your gentle wing abides.”
Michael Haefliger Executive and Artistic Director LUCERNE FESTIVAL
This is an idea very much in keeping with our time. Nowadays, “custom,” i.e., the Zeitgeist, divides society more than ever. Worldwide, the gap between Left and Right, poor and rich, is getting bigger. Hate messages and populism undermine understanding and reason. What can help us out of this bind? Beethoven has an answer: the shared experience of joy. And where better than in a concert, which stands out from all other social or cultural offerings through the aspect of community? You read a book for yourself; even in a museum, everyone looks at the paintings on their own. Sport, on the other hand, thrives on rivalry, and political discourse is determined by opposing convictions. In the concert hall, however, people who are actually separated by so many aspects – age, origin, social and political position – come together and experience something delightful at the same time. They share feelings, and they breathe with the music. We therefore hope to celebrate the 2020 Beethoven Year with you as a great festival of joy that unites us all. And that reconciles what is so often in danger of disintegrating. As ever,
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Art
has many forms.
At Roche we embrace science and art. Both energize our imaginations and inspire inventions - making our world better.
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
14 August | 18.30 Opening Concert KKL Luzern, Concert Hall LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly conductor Beethoven Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 | Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 | Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major 15 August | 18.30 Symphony Concert 1 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly conductor | Martha Argerich piano Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15 | Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major 15 August | 22.00 Late Night 1 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Brass Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Steven Verhaert conductor | String Soloists of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
Bach/Verhaert Shout for Joy from Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 | Mendelssohn String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 | Strauss/Verhaert “Allegro con brio” from the Sonatina No. 2 in E-flat major Cheerful Workshop
“The LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA is reborn every summer. No musician is obliged to be a part of this extraordinary orchestra when the next year rolls around. Everything happens voluntarily. We work very intensively for weeks on end, absolutely immersed in the music. That’s why there is such instant enthusiasm, and sometimes I even have to slow down the musicians. There’s no hint of unjoyful routine here in Lucerne.” Riccardo Chailly
20 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 4 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly conductor | Denis Matsuev piano Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 | Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 22 August | 18.30 Symphony Concert 6 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 Sinfonia pastorale | Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
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17 – 21 August Composer Seminar KKL Luzern, Clubraum 8 with Wolfgang Rihm, Dieter Ammann et al. 22 August | 11.00 Cosmos Boulez 1 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Lin Liao conductor
Boulez Polyphonie X for 18 instruments | Victor Colţea and Samir Amarouch new works for ensemble (world premieres)
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY & ALUMNI
23 August | 16.00 Cosmos Boulez 3 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | David Robertson conductor | Juliet Fraser soprano
Boulez Livre pour cordes | Éclat/Multiples for orchestra | Saunders Nether for soprano and ensemble (Swiss premiere) 29 August | 14.00 Closing Concert of the Composer Seminar KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI
Boulez Initiale for seven brass players | Composer Seminar Showcase 29 August | 18.30 Symphony Concert 13 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
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Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Sylvain Cambreling conductor | Nicolas Hodges piano
Webern Variations, Op. 30 | Stravinsky Movements | Xenakis Shaar | Webern Symphony, Op. 21 | Stravinsky Variations (Aldous Huxley in memoriam) | Saunders new work for piano and orchestra (world premiere) 5 September | 22.00 Late Night 4 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Dirk Rothbrust and Christian Dierstein percussion | Marco Blaauw trumpet | Soloists of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI Saunders Neither for four double-bell trumpets | dust for percussion (world premieres of the new versions) 6 September | 11.00 Symphony Concert 21 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI | Ilan Volkov conductor | Dirk Rothbrust and Christian Dierstein percussion | Marco Blaauw trumpet
Saunders blaauw for double-bell trumpet | Rihm Sub-Kontur for orchestra | Saunders void for two percussion players and orchestra | Alba for trumpet and orchestra (Swiss premieres)
“The LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY aims to ensure a future for the music of the present. That is why, every summer, 100 or so highly talented young musicians immerse themselves in contemporary scores here so as to develop a feeling for the aesthetics, tonal language, and playing techniques associated with these works. As LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI, they then present new concert projects beyond the routine of the classical music business.” Michael Haefliger
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Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla “artiste étoile” “The joy of music is probably the first and most beautiful reason why every musician has chosen their profession. We are privileged in the process. We can share our joy in music by making music together with others. And even more, we reinforce it by playing for others, for the audience to whom we want to give pleasure. I would like to celebrate this shared, threefold experience of joy with you during my Lucerne residency as ‘artiste étoile.’” Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
23 August | 18.30 Symphony Concert 7 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla conductor | Gautier Capuçon cello
Sibelius Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 | Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 | Debussy La Mer 24 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 8 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | CBSO Youth Chorus | Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla conductor | Piotr Anderszewski piano
Barber Adagio for Strings | Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3, Sz 119 | Holst The Planets, Op. 32
29 August | 22.00 Late Night 3 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla vocals | Vera Klug flute | Frank Stadler violin | Hossam Mahmoud oud “The Secret of Love” Arab instrumental pieces and songs
16 August | 11.00 Chamber Music 1 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Trio Accanto
Saunders That Time 22 August | 22.00 Late Night 2 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Juliet Fraser soprano | Nicolas Hodges and Michael Wendeberg piano | IRCAM Saunders new work for soprano and tape | Choler for two pianos 23 August | 16.00 Cosmos Boulez 3 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | David Robertson conductor | Juliet Fraser soprano
Saunders Nether for soprano and ensemble 29 August | 11.00 Chamber Music 2 Lukaskirche
Quatuor Diotima Saunders Unbreathed
29 August | 18.30 Symphony Concert 13 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Sylvain Cambreling conductor | Nicolas Hodges piano
Saunders new work for piano and orchestra (Roche Commissions world premiere) 30 August | 18.30 Symphony Concert 14 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
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Royal Concertgebouworkest | François-Xavier Roth conductor | Pekka Kuusisto violin Saunders Still for violin and orchestra 5 September | 22.00 Late Night 4 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Dirk Rothbrust and Christian Dierstein percussion | Marco Blaauw trumpet | Soloists of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI Saunders Neither for four double-bell trumpets | dust for percussion
6 September | 11.00 Symphony Concert 21 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI | Ilan Volkov conductor | Dirk Rothbrust and Christian Dierstein percussion | Marco Blaauw trumpet
Saunders blaauw for double-bell trumpet | void for percussion and orchestra | Alba for trumpet and orchestra 13 September | 11.00 Chamber Music 6 Hochschule Luzern – Musik am Südpol
Students of the Hochschule Luzern – Musik
Rebecca Saunders Portrait Concert
Rebecca Saunders “composerin-residence” “I look forward to working with the extraordinary young musicians of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY who will premiere my new piano concerto and who will perform my most recent large ensemble work, Nether. I will also develop two new spatial chamber works with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI. It is an honor that the triptych of my three earlier concertos – Still, Alba, and void – will all be performed for the first time in Lucerne within the span of a few days.” Rebecca Saunders
Music for Future & YOUNG
11 August | 19.30 Music for Future 1 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra | Valentin Uryupin conductor | Sergei Dogadin violin
works by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninoff 12 August | 19.30 Music for Future 2 Lukaskirche
Leia Zhu violin | TBA piano works by Beethoven, Wieniawski, Mendelssohn, and Ravel 13 August | 17.30 Music for Future 3 – Open Air Europaplatz
Brass for Africa | Lizzie Burrowes conductor African Melodies and Brass Classics 14 August | 17.15 Music for Future 4 – Open Air Europaplatz
Chorus and Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp | Gerald Wirth conductor Preview of the Family Concert 15 August | 11.00 Young – Family Concert KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Dancers, Chorus, and Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp | Gerald Wirth conductor | Benjamin Engeli piano | Royston Maldoom and Tamara McLorg choreography
From Boyce to Beethoven 30 August | 14.00/16.00 Young – Beethoven Day KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Taschenoper Lübeck
“Fidelio for Children”
1 September | 10.00 Young – Concert for Students KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Through “Music for Future,” a new festival before the festival, we aim to significantly strengthen our deep commitment to the young generation. The stage will belong to young musicians from all over the world: the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, the ensemble Brass for Africa, 13-year-old violinist Leia Zhu, and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp. The LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG series is being expanded – even the famous Berlin Philharmonic will play a concert exclusively for primary school classes.
Berlin Philharmonic Brass Players | Sarah Willis host From Handel to John Williams
6 September | 11.00/14.00 Young – Children’s Concert Maskenliebhabersaal
Eleonora Savini violin | Federico Carraro viola et al.
“ViolínViolá”
11 September | 11.00 (School Performance) 12 September | 11.00/14.00 Young – Die Schurken KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Die Schurken “Paris! Paris!”
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Music for Future
Summer Festival | August 2020 11.08.
Tue
12.08. Thu 13.08. Wed
19.30 | KS
Music for Future 1
Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra | Valentin Uryupin | Sergej Dogadin
p. 18
19.30 | LK
Music for Future 2
Leia Zhu | TBA
p. 19
17.30 | E
Music for Future 3 – Open Air
Brass for Africa | Lizzie Burrowes
p. 20
Fri
14.08.
17.15 | E
Music for Future 4 – Open Air
Chorus and Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp | Gerald Wirth
p. 22
Fri
14.08.
18.30 | KS
Opening Concert
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly
p. 23
18.30 | I
Public Viewing
Live Streaming of the Opening Concert
p. 23
11.00 | KS
Family Concert
Dancers, Chorus, and Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp | Gerald Wirth | Benjamin Engeli | Royston Maldoom | Tamara McLorg
p. 24
17.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 25
18.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 1
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly | Martha Argerich
p. 25
22.00 | KS
Late Night 1
Brass Ensemble and String Soloists of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Steven Verhaert
p. 26
11.00 | LS
Chamber Music 1
Trio Accanto
p. 27
14.30 | KS
Afternoon Concert
Festival Strings Lucerne | Daniel Dodds | Vital Julian Frey
p. 28
17.00 | A
NZZ Podium
“Joy: Elixir of Life” (in German)
p. 29
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 2
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra | Daniel Barenboim | Michael Barenboim | Kian Soltani
p. 30
10/12 | CR
Composer Seminar
with Wolfgang Rihm, Dieter Ammann et al.
p. 31
18.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 32
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 3
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra | Lahav Shani | Daniel Barenboim
p. 32
10/12 | CR
Composer Seminar
with Wolfgang Rihm, Dieter Ammann et al.
p. 31
18.20 | LS
40min
“Inside the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA”
p. 33
19.30 | KS
Recital 1 – Piano
Igor Levit
p. 33
Sat
15.08.
8
Sun
Mon
Tue
16.08.
17.08.
18.08.
Wed
20.08.
Thu
Fri
19.08.
21.08.
Sat
22.08.
Sun
Mon
23.08.
24.08.
10/12 | CR
Composer Seminar
with Wolfgang Rihm, Dieter Ammann et al.
p. 31
19.30 | KS
Recital 2 – Piano and Voice
Sir András Schiff | Jan Petryka | Ema Nikolovska | Women of the Bavarian Radio Choir
p. 34
10/12 | CR
Composer Seminar
with Wolfgang Rihm, Dieter Ammann et al.
p. 31
12.15 | LK
Debut 1
Timothy Ridout | Frank Dupree
p. 35
18.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 36
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 4
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly | Denis Matsuev
p. 36
10/12 | CR
Composer Seminar
with Wolfgang Rihm, Dieter Ammann et al.
p. 31
18.20 | LS
40min
“Shostakovich’s Secret: The Fifth Symphony”
p. 37
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 5
Cecilia Bartoli | Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco | Gianluca Capuano
p. 37
11.00 | LS
Cosmos Boulez 1
Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Lin Liao
p. 38
16.00 | LK
Cosmos Boulez 2
Arditti Quartet
p. 37
17.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 40
18.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 6
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Yannick Nézet-Séguin
p. 40
22.00 | LS
Late Night 2
Juliet Fraser | Nicolas Hodges | Michael Wendeberg | IRCAM – Centre Pompidou
p. 41
11.00 | KS
Recital 3 – Piano
Igor Levit
p. 42
16.00 | LS
Cosmos Boulez 3
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | David Robertson | Juliet Fraser
p. 43
17.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 44
18.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 7
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla | Gautier Capuçon
p. 44
18.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 45
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 8
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | CBSO Youth Chorus | Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla | Piotr Anderszewski
p. 45
9
25.08.
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
26.08.
27.08.
28.08.
10
Sat
29.08.
12.15 | LK
Debut 2
Daniel Ciobanu
p. 46
17.30 | E
“In the Streets” – Opening Concert
Music groups from all over the world
p. 46
18.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Dieter Ammann and Mark Sattler (in German)
p. 47
19.00 | AS
“In the Streets”
Music groups from all over the world
p. 46
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 9 – räsonanz Donor Concert
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra | Susanna Mälkki | Andreas Haefliger
p. 47
18.00 | AS
“In the Streets”
Music groups from all over the world
p. 48
18.20 | LS
40min
“The Art of Conducting”
p. 48
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 10
Vienna Symphony | Philippe Jordan | Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider
p. 48
12.15 | LK
Debut 3
Salomo Schweizer | Petya Mihneva
p. 49
18.00 | AS
“In the Streets”
Music groups from all over the world
p. 50
18.20 | LS
40min
“Music and Poetry: Beethoven Meets Hölderlin”
p. 50
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 11
Lucerne Symphony Orchestra | James Gaffigan | Steven Isserlis
p. 50
17.30 | E/KKL/LT
Performance
“Beethoven NINE!”
p. 60
18.00 | AS
“In the Streets”
Music groups from all over the world
p. 51
18.20 | LS
40min
“Classical Music That Is Written Today”
p. 51
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 12
Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Sir George Benjamin | Pierre-Laurent Aimard
p. 51
10.00 | SP
“In the Streets”
Music groups from all over the world
p. 52
11.00 | LK
Chamber Music 2
Quatuor Diotima | Michael Engelhardt
S. 52
14.00 | LS
Closing Concert of the Composer Seminar
Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI
p. 53
18.00 | AS
“In the Streets”
Music groups from all over the world
p. 52
18.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 13
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Sylvain Cambreling | Nicolas Hodges
p. 54
22.00 | LS
Late Night 3
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla | Vera Klug | Frank Stadler | Hossam Mahmoud
p. 55
30.08.
Beethoven Day
Sun
Mon
31.08.
all day long Performance
“Freude for Future”
p. 62
10.00 | MK Liturgical Service
with Florian Flohr, Marcel Köppli, and Stephen Smith (in German)
p. 62
11.00 | KS
Beethoven Day – Chamber Music 3
Hagen Quartet
p. 57
11.00 | E
“In the Streets”
Music groups from all over the world
p. 62
13.30 | KM
Beethoven Day – Chamber Music 4
pre-art soloists | Michael Engelhardt
p. 58
14.00 | LS
Young – Fidelio 1
“Fidelio for Children”
p. 59
15.00 | E/KKL/LT
Performance
“Beethoven NINE!”
p. 60
15.30 | KM
Beethoven Day – Chamber Music 5
Stefan Wirth | Michael Engelhardt
p. 61
16.00 | LS
Young – Fidelio 2
“Fidelio for Children”
p. 59
16.00 | A
Panel Discussion
Philippe Herreweghe | François-Xavier Roth | Rebecca Saunders | Benjamin Herzog (in German)
p. 62
16.15 | E
“In the Streets” – Closing Concert
Music groups from all over the world
p. 62
17.00 | JK
Liturgical Service for the Church Consecration
Soloists, Vocal Ensemble, and Orchestra of the Collegium Musicum Luzern | Pascal Mayer
p. 62
18.30 | KS
Beethoven Day – Symphony Concert 14
Royal Concertgebouworkest | François-Xavier Roth | Pekka Kuusisto
p. 63
18.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 64
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 15
Royal Concertgebouworkest | Collegium Vocale Gent | Philippe Herreweghe | Soloists
p. 64
10.00 | KS Young – Concert for Students
Berlin Philharmonic Brass Players | Sarah Willis
p. 66
12.15 | LK
Debut 4
Dmitry Smirnov
p. 65
18.20 | LS
40min
“Powerful Eloquence: Hölderlin’s Choral Poetry” (in German)
p. 66
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 16
Berlin Philharmonic | Kirill Petrenko
p. 66
September 2020 Tue
01.09.
11
Wed
03.09.
Thu
Fri
02.09.
04.09.
Sat
05.09.
Sun
06.09.
12
Mon
07.09.
18.30 | SK
Poetic Performance
“Language! Great Cinema” (in German)
p. 71
18.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 67
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 17
Berlin Philharmonic | Kirill Petrenko | Daniil Trifonov
p. 67
12.15 | LK
Debut 5
Zee Zee
p. 68
18.20 | LS
40min
“Spotlight on Rebecca Saunders”
p. 69
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 18
Il Giardino Armonico | Giovanni Antonini | Patricia Kopatchinskaja
p. 69
20.00 | LT
Dance
Tanz 34: “As You Like It”
p. 70
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 19
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra | Manfred Honeck | Anne-Sophie Mutter
p. 71
20.30 | SK
Poetic Performance
“Language! Great Cinema” (in German)
p. 71
17.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 72
18.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 20
Vienna Philharmonic | Gustavo Dudamel | Valentine Michaud
p. 72
19.30 | LT
Dance
Tanz 34: “As You Like It”
p. 70
22.00 | LS
Late Night 4
Dirk Rothbrust | Christian Dierstein | Marco Blaauw | Soloists of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI
p. 73
11.00 | KS
Symphony Concert 21
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI | Ilan Volkov | Soloists
p. 74
11.00 | M
Young – Children’s Concert 1
“ViolínViolá”
p. 75
14.00 | M
Young – Children’s Concert 2
“ViolínViolá”
p. 75
15.00 | LS
Concert Introduction
with Mark Sattler and the composers (in German)
p. 76
16.00 | LS
Symphony Concert 22
Basel Sinfonietta | Baldur Brönnimann | Andreas Grau | Götz Schumacher | Fritz Hauser
p. 76
17.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 77
18.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 23
Vienna Philharmonic | Gustavo Dudamel
p. 77
19.00 | LT
Dance
Tanz 34: “As You Like It”
p. 70
18.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 78
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 24
London Symphony Orchestra | Sir Simon Rattle
p. 78
08.09.
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
09.09.
10.09.
11.09.
Sat
Sun
12.09.
13.09.
12.15 | LK
Debut 6
Connaught Brass
p. 79
18.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Susanne Stähr (in German)
p. 79
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 25
London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra | Sir Simon Rattle | Elsa Dreisig | Elisabeth Kulman
p. 79
18.20 | LS
40min
“Beethoven, or the String Quartet Revolution”
p. 81
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 26
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden | Christian Thielemann | Anja Kampe
p. 81
12.15 | LK
Debut 7
Viano String Quartet
p. 82
18.20 | LS
40min
“Lucerne is on the Seine”
p. 83
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 27
p. 83
11.00 | LS
Young – Die Schurken (School Performance)
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden | Christian Thielemann | Anja Harteros “Paris! Paris!”
19.30 | LT
Dance
Tanz 34: “As You Like It”
p. 70
19.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 28
Munich Philharmonic | Valery Gergiev | Janine Jansen
p. 84
11.00 | LS
Young – Die Schurken 1
“Paris! Paris!”
p. 85
14.00 | LS
Young – Die Schurken 2
“Paris! Paris!”
p. 85
17.30 | A
Concert Introduction
with Malte Lohmann (in German)
p. 86
18.30 | KS
Symphony Concert 29
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique | Monteverdi Choir | Sir John Eliot Gardiner | Soloists
p. 86
19.30 | LT
Dance
Tanz 34: “As You Like It”
p. 70
11.00 | HL
Chamber Music 6
Students of the Hochschule Luzern – Musik | Clemens Heil
p. 87
17.00 | KS
Symphony Concert 30
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique | Monteverdi Choir | Sir John Eliot Gardiner | Soloists
p. 88
19.00 | LT
Dance
Tanz 34: “As You Like It”
p. 70
Venues: KKL Luzern: A Auditorium | CR Clubraum 8 | E Europaplatz | KM Kunstmuseum | KS Concert Hall | LS Lucerne Hall Additional venues: AS Old City | I Inseli | JK Jesuitenkirche | LK Lukaskirche | LT Luzerner Theater | M Maskenliebhabersaal | MK Matthäuskirche | S Südpol | SK stattkino | SP Lake Promenade | HL Hochschule Luzern – Musik
p. 85
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© Priska Ketterer/LUCERNE FESTIVAL
WORLD CLASS, DAY AFTER DAY
THE TOP ORCHESTRAS AT LUCERNE FESTIVAL Berlin Philharmonic | City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra | Il Giardino Armonico | Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco | London Symphony Orchestra | LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Lucerne Symphony Orchestra | Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Munich Philharmonic | Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI | Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique | Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra | Royal Concertgebouworkest | Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden | West-Eastern Divan Orchestra | Vienna Philharmonic | Vienna Symphony
Tickets and Information at: t +41 (0)41 226 44 80 | lucernefestival.ch
LUCERNE FESTIVAL thanks its Partners for their valued commitment to the 2020 Summer Festival. Main Sponsors
Theme Sponsor Concert Sponsors
Artemis Group / Franke Group | Dr. Christoph M. Müller and Sibylla M. Müller | KPMG AG | Nestlé S.A. | Viking
Co-Sponsors
Andermatt Swiss Alps AG | B. Braun Medical AG | Bucherer AG | la Mobilière | Family Goer | Schindler Elevator Ltd. | Dr. Dolf Stockhausen | Swiss Life | Swiss Re | Zuger Kantonalbank
Foundations
Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation – Partner räsonanz Donor Concert Fritz Gerber Foundation – Partner Fritz Gerber Award Hilti Foundation – Partner Music Camp
Arthur Waser Stiftung | Cleven Foundation | Ernst Göhner Foundation | Josef Müller Stiftung Muri | Karitative Stiftung Dr. Gerber-ten Bosch | Landis & Gyr Foundation | Strebi-Stiftung Luzern
Grants and Subsidies Kanton Luzern | Stadt Luzern
A very special thanks is owed as well to the Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL, which is an indispensable parter in implementing our program.
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© Priska Ketterer/LUCERNE FESTIVAL
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“Cosmos Boulez” LUCERNE FESTIVAL rediscovers important works that Pierre Boulez withdrew during his own lifetime. This series will juxtapose them with other Boulez masterpieces as well as with music by the young generation of composers.
Sat 22 August
Sat 22 August
Boulez Polyphonie X | Colţea and Amarouch new works for ensemble (world premieres)
Saunders new work for soprano and tape (Swiss premiere) | Choler for two pianos | Boulez Structures pour deux pianos, 1er et 2ème livre
Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Lin Liao
Sat 22 August Arditti Quartet
Boulez Livre pour quatuor (Swiss premiere of the version that has been reconstructed by Philippe Manoury and Jean-Louis Leleu)
Info: lucernefestival.ch/boulez
Juliet Fraser | Nicolas Hodges | Michael Wendeberg | IRCAM
Sun 23 August
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | David Robertson | Juliet Fraser Boulez Livre pour cordes | Éclat/Multiples | Saunders Nether for soprano and ensemble (Swiss premiere)
C O N C E R T S A N D E V E N T S
Music for Future Tuesday, 11 August Music for Future 1 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“Music for Future”: That is the Future of Music!
CHF 20/10 (adults/children) Event no. 20902
Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra Valentin Uryupin conductor Sergei Dogadin violin Mikhail Glinka Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla ca. 6’
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 ca. 35’
Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 ca. 38’
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Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra
Looking forward to something is the loveliest kind of joy. Which is why this year we are starting Lucerne’s Summer Festival even before the official Opening Concert – with the mini-festival “Music for Future.” We have invited performers from the young generation from Russia, Great Britain, Uganda, and Switzerland. After all, what the music scene will look in the future will be determined by these artists. That also means having people from every continent participate: all of us are connected by the universal language of music. The Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra will start it all off with a survey of 100 years of Russian music, spanning from the ”founding father” Mikhail Glinka to Sergei Rachmaninoff ’s Symphonic Dances – a work in which this late-Romantic composer looked back over his career shortly before his death as an exile in America: here, melancholy lyricism blends with virtuoso orchestral playing. Also on the program is one of the best-loved works of the violin repertoire as performed by the young Russian violinist Sergei Dogadin, who won the Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019.
Music for Future
“That’s Fun”
Wednesday, 12 August Music for Future 2 19.30 Lukaskirche
Leia Zhu on playing the violin
CHF 20/10 (adults/children) Event no. 20920
Leia Zhu violin TBA piano Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Sonata in D major, Op. 12, no. 1
ca. 20’
Henryk Wieniawski Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 15 ca. 11’
Felix Mendelssohn Violin Sonata in F major ca. 27’
Maurice Ravel Tzigane Rhapsody for violin and piano ca. 10’
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Leia Zhu
During the “Summer of Childhood” in 2018, when she was 11, Leia Zhu was the youngest performer at LUCERNE FESTIVAL. Critics later raved that the British violinist with Chinese roots played “in a deeply relaxed and devilishly confident manner,” while many were astonished that she had appeared onstage here as an already mature artist who offered far more than mechanical virtuosity. Now, two years older and enriched by many new experiences, including performances with the acclaimed Mariinsky Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra, Leia Zhu returns to the Festival for a recital in the Lukaskirche. Naturally, it is not always easy for the 13-year-old musician to reconcile her huge workload with all of her other activities: “I have to go to school and do homework, I love reading and sports, and then I travel around a lot. You have to be efficient and organize your day well,” she confidently explains, knowing that “if I can’t practice so much, it’s not the end of the world. It’s more important to listen to yourself and to be honest with yourself.”
Music for Future Thursday, 13 August Music for Future 3 – Open Air 17.30 Europaplatz free admission
“Music is not controversial; it’s universal”
The trumpeter Alison Balsom on Brass for Africa
Brass for Africa Lizzie Burrowes conductor “Music Gives You Perspectives” African Melodies and Brass Classics ca. 45’
This performance has no intermission
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Brass for Africa
What do you do with 30 brass instruments sitting unused in a corner? The Briton Jim Trott, who regularly flies to African countries as a pilot, came up with a good idea. He brought them to Uganda and donated them to an orphanage there. Over the course of later visits, he was able to witness the positive ways in which music changed the lives of children and youngsters there by encouraging their sense of self-confidence as well as their concentration, stamina, and ability to solve problems together. So Trott founded the charity Brass for Africa in 2009, which today supports more than 1,000 disadvantaged children and young people in Uganda, Liberia, and Rwanda through instruments and music lessons, assisting and advising them in everyday life, and local staff training (many of them former participants). Now, for the first time, a 10-person ensemble from the Ugandan capital of Kampala will travel to Switzerland. Under the open sky, right in front of the KKL Luzern, they will play thrilling arrangements of traditional African music and brass classics.
Music for Future Friday, 14 August Music for Future 4 – Open Air 17.15 Europaplatz free admission
Chorus and Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp Gerald Wirth conductor “Superar Suisse and Friends” Preview of the Family Concert ca. 45’
This performance has no intermission
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LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp, 2019
“Superar” means “to conquer, to prevail.” And this is precisely what the summer Music Camp, which LUCERNE FESTIVAL is offering in its third edition in collaboration with Superar Suisse, is all about. Young musicians – singers, instrumentalists, and, for the first time this year, dancers as well – will gather together for a week on Lake Lucerne to rehearse a program under the guidance of conductor Gerald Wirth and numerous tutors. They will then perform it during the opening weekend in the grand KKL Lucerne Concert Hall. The young participants become immersed in the creative Festival atmosphere, meet musicians from the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA (who will be rehearsing their own concerts at the same time), and become better acquainted with each other through both daily sessions and excursions to the surrounding area. In short, making music together motivates them to overcome boundaries and to prevail. In an open-air performance on the Europaplatz, the Chorus and Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp will present excerpts from this year’s program immediately before the official Opening Concert of the Summer Festival.
“This symphony is like a radiant hero: it’s electrifying” Riccardo Chailly on Beethoven’s First Symphony
Friday, 14 August Opening Concert 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 350/300/240/170/100/50 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20301
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Riccardo Chailly conductor Ludwig van Beethoven Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 ca. 5’
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 ca. 26’
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major ca. 60’
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Riccardo Chailly and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
The 2020 Summer Festival begins with the spark of the gods: the fire stolen from Mount Olympus by Prometheus. Ludwig van Beethoven saw himself as a kindred spirit to the ancient Titan, for he wanted to “spread the rays of divinity among the human race” – with his stirring music, which is so uplifting, liberating, and joyful in its effect. Riccardo Chailly and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA will therefore kick off the Opening Concert with his Prometheus Overture, following it with the “electrifying” First Symphony, the finale of which tells a sort of creation story. Beethoven builds up his theme, step by step, from the eight notes of the C major scale, playing a witty, comic game with this raw musical material. Gustav Mahler took a very similar tack in his own First Symphony. The curtain rises with sounds from nature: birdcalls, fanfares, and signals emerge from the soundscape. Finally, out of this primeval mist, humanity enters the world. Mahler supplies a musical biography in four movements that span from youthful exuberance to the return to Paradise.
Kühne Foundation – Main Sponsor
Live Streaming of the Opening Concert on the Big Screen 18.30 Inseli Park free admission
Music for Future Saturday, 15 August Family Concert 11.00 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“You can change your life in a dance class” Royston Maldoom
CHF 20/10 (adults/children) Event no. 20901
Dancers, Chorus, and Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp Gerald Wirth conductor Benjamin Engeli piano Royston Maldoom and Tamara McLorg choreography “Superar Suisse and Friends” William Boyce Symphony in B-flat major, Op. 2, no. 1 Ludwig van Beethoven Finale from the Choral Fantasy in C minor, Op. 80 and works by other composers in cooperation with Superar Suisse For listeners ages 7 and up This concert has no intermission | ends at approx. 12.15
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LUCERNE FESTIVAL Music Camp, 2019
“Anyone can dance,” remarks the British choreographer and dance teacher Royston Maldoom. Which is why he works not only with professional dancers but also, and in particular, with amateurs. Maldoom has led countless community dance projects with children and adults all over the world. He became known to a wide audience through the cinema hit Rhythm Is It!, which shows him rehearsing Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring with schoolchildren in Berlin. Now he comes to Lucerne. In this third edition of the Music Camp, which LUCERNE FESTIVAL has been presenting with Superar Suisse every summer since 2018, dancers will be performing for the first time alongside singers and instrumentalists. Maldoom will choreograph music by the Baroque English composer William Boyce. To celebrate the anniversary year, the program also includes Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. The participants in the Music Camp will form a larger community in which they exchange ideas and learn from one another, from their coaches, and from members of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA. Hilti Foundation – Partner Music Camp
“Her playing is simply wonderful!” Riccardo Chailly on Martha Argerich
Saturday, 15 August Symphony Concert 1 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20303
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Riccardo Chailly conductor Martha Argerich piano Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15 ca. 34’
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major ca. 60’
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Martha Argerich
“A composition,” Martha Argerich observes, “never gets depleted; it is only performers who mechanically jingle their notes that become exhausted at some point.” There is hardly any danger of that happening with this master pianist from Argentina. Not even when she has engaged with the work in question longer than any other throughout her unique career: Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto. In 1949, when she was only seven years old, she made her debut with this work, playing with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Radio El Mundo. You can even find a recording of this performance online, and it is an extraordinary proof of her early maturity. Naturally, Argerich has discovered new facets of Beethoven’s C major Concerto over the decades. And she will surely do so when she performs this signature piece with Riccardo Chailly and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA. Argerich has enjoyed an artistic partnership with Chailly for 30 years. According to the maestro: “Martha has an incredible charisma. As soon as she puts her fingers on the keys, she magically draws you into her musical realm.” Kühne Foundation – Main Sponsor
Concert Introduction (in German) 17.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
“Shout for Joy!”
Saturday, 15 August Late Night 1 22.00 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 50 Event no. 20304
Brass Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Steven Verhaert conductor String soloists of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Johann Sebastian Bach Shout for Joy from the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 arranged for brass ensemble by Steven Verhaert ca. 8’
Felix Mendelssohn String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 ca. 32’
Richard Strauss “Allegro con brio” from the Sonatina No. 2 in E-flat major for 16 winds The Cheerful Workshop Arranged for brass ensemble by Steven Verhaert ca. 13’
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This concert has no intermission Brass Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, 2016
It’s not just Christmas music … J.S. Bach originally wrote the opening chorus of his Christmas Oratorio, the famous Shout for Joy (“Jauchzet, frohlocket”), as a secular birthday greeting for the Saxon Electress Maria Josepha in 1733, setting the words “Tönet, ihr Pauken! (“Resound, ye drums!”). Not until the following year did he reuse this music to celebrate the nativity of Christ. So why not play it in the summer? Especially as its joyful character could hardly be better suited to the theme of this year’s Festival. The Brass Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA asked Steven Verhaert to come up with a peppy arrangement. He also crafted an arrangement of the woodwind sonatina The Cheerful Workshop, which Richard Strauss wrote in 1944-45, evoking a demonstratively cheerful soundscape (in marked contrast to the grimness of the period). The 16-year-old Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet, performed by eight string soloists from the orchestra, is the epitome of “happy music.” Mendelssohn’s youthful stroke of genius is a musical expression of the joy of life – and therefore could not be left off this Late Night program, in which the sparks of joy will flicker!
“A brillant ensemble” Rebecca Saunders on the Trio Accanto
Sunday, 16 August Chamber Music 1 11.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall CHF 50 Event no. 20305
Trio Accanto: Marcus Weiss saxophone Nicolas Hodges piano Christian Dierstein percussion Georges Aperghis Trio funambule ca. 12’
Misato Mochizuki Satellites
Swiss premiere ca. 15’
Evan Johnson Plan and section of the same reservoir
Swiss premiere ca. 15’
Rebecca Saunders That Time. Trio for baritone saxophone, percussion, and piano
commissioned by Radio France, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, LUCERNE FESTIVAL, and Milano Musica – Associazione per la musica contemporanea Swiss premiere ca. 17’
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Trio Accanto
The title gives you a good clue about this program. Georges Aperghis’s funambule (“tightrope walker”), a trio he wrote in 2014, actually brings to mind a musical tightrope act. The composer explains that he wanted “to abandon the idea of a continuous line in favor of a constantly changing scene.” The result is a circus-like music filled with sudden interruptions where the ensemble has to constantly rebalance its playing at breakneck speed. The piece requires the utmost in virtuosity from the performers, but Marcus Weiss, Nicolas Hodges, and Christian Dierstein will master the challenge with uncannily certain precision. The Trio Accanto has already commissioned over 100 works in the 25 years of its existence. Three brand-new scores, all of them Swiss premieres, will also be heard in Lucerne. In these, composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders, the Japanese Misato Mochizuki, and the American Evan Johnson explore the nearly unlimited possibilities of this unusual instrumental configuration of saxophone, piano, and drums.
The “Rebecca Saunders Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders: lucernefestival.ch/saunders
“The essence of music is to bring joy”
Sunday, 16 August Afternoon Concert 14.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Aristotle
Tickets cost CHF 10 and must be obtained between 3 and 14 August directly from the Stadthaus Luzern (Hirschengraben 17, main entrance)
Festival Strings Lucerne Daniel Dodds violin, conductor, and host Vital Julian Frey harpsichord Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 ca. 10’
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D major, K. 107 ca. 14’
Franz Schreker Intermezzo for string orchestra, Op. 8 ca. 7’
Scherzo for string orchestra ca. 6’
Béla Bartók Romanian Folk Dances, Sz 68
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ca. 7’
Festival Strings Lucerne
Are classical concerts meant just for an elite who can afford expensive tickets? With the tradition of the afternoon concert, LUCERNE FESTIVAL and the City of Lucerne prove the opposite. Costing only 10 Swiss francs, this affordable event allows you to enjoy classical music-making of the highest quality. The Festival Strings Lucerne and Daniel Dodds will present five works, all revolving around the theme of “Joy.” J.S. Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto bursts with exhilaration, while the Harpsichord Concerto in D major by the 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadé Mozart is a playful and lively work influenced by his idol Johann Christian Bach (one of the elder Bach’s sons). The lush Intermezzo for Strings by Franz Schreker is a study in euphony; his cheerful Scherzo is written for the same forces. Serving as the finale are the Romanian Folk Dances by the Hungarian Béla Bartók. Ever since he encountered and recorded these dances in Transylvanian villages, they have inspired arrangements for a rich variety of ensembles. Radiating vitality, this is music that makes it difficult to sit still.
“Life is serious, art is joyful”
Sunday, 16 August NZZ Podium 17.00 KKL Luzern, Auditorium
Friedrich Schiller
CHF 30/10 (discount) Event no. 20302
Round Table with Gerald Hüther brain researcher Terézia Mora writer Wolfgang Rihm composer Moderator: Martin Meyer Director of the NZZ Podium “Joy: Elixir of Life” (in German)
ca. 90’
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Terézia Mora
There is a philosophy of joy, but few think about it so abstractly. We experience joy as feeling, in all its immediacy. When it arrives, joy is simply there. With our bodies, we also experience joy as a feeling that needs to be expressed, whether out loud through laughter, cheering, and shouting or in a more restrained way, by smiling. Suffering is a different matter. It often comes along insidiously and makes us want to justify it. This is how thinking sets in, leading into depths that can even become unfathomable. Physically, suffering turns us inward: we harden, become stiff, grow silent. If we feel big when experiencing joy, suffering makes us feel small. Moments of joy are precious and transient, which is why it has been task of the fine arts, music, literature, and painting, to make them last. Representing joy, however, is likely the more difficult aesthetic challenge. The effect quickly seems uplifting and boring. Of evil, on the other hand, we cannot get enough. It is no accident that in his Divina Commedia, Dante embellished his description of hell far more attentively than he did that of heaven.
Sunday, 16 August Symphony Concert 2 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“I simply play the violin better than he does” Michael on Daniel Barenboim
CHF 200/170/130/90/60/30 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20307
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Daniel Barenboim conductor Michael Barenboim violin Kian Soltani cello Johannes Brahms Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102 ca. 33’
Richard Strauss Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40 ca. 48’
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Daniel Barenboim
It’s a family reunion in Lucerne. Daniel Barenboim, the father, has long been a legendary pianist and conductor. His son Michael follows in his footsteps, for he is just as obsessed with music and also enjoys worldwide success – but as a violinist, which safeguards him from vexing comparisons. Kian Soltani, on the other hand, is a “discovery” of Daniel Barenboim, who has long remained a champion of the cellist. Soltani, who was born in 1992, has since won numerous prizes, including the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award, which earned him a performance with the Vienna Philharmonic at LUCERNE FESTIVAL in 2018. Together with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which Barenboim senior founded in 1999 and which, as a tight-knit community, is also part of the “family,” they will take on the spirited Double Concerto by Johannes Brahms. The Festival theme of “Joy” meanwhile is addressed via Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben. The euphorically soaring opening theme makes your heart start beating faster and want to revel in the composer’s late-Romantic waves of sound.
“I always try to encourage quirks” Wolfgang Rihm
Monday, 17 August – Friday, 21 August Composer Seminar each day 10.00–11.30 and 12.00–13.30 KKL Luzern, Clubraum 8 for auditors CHF 120/30 (course pass/day pass) Event no. 20710/20711–20715
Participants in the Composer Seminar Wolfgang Rihm director Dieter Ammann co-teacher Presentation and discussion of the selected works
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Wolfgang Rihm in conversation with students of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY
“A teacher is good when the students are different from him, and are not copies of his attitudes,” Wolfgang Rihm once observed. This maxim also applies to his Composer Seminar, which he has offered every summer since 2016 as part of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY. Rihm has said that he does not want to found a school, and he does not propose a competition that rewards the (allegedly) best of the upcoming generation of composers. Instead, he is attempting to “put together composers who are at different states of development and self-awareness” from the pool of more than 250 international applications. What interests him is a productive discussion and “getting a start on the ability to articulate your own ideas, becoming more secure in following your own way.” But to do so, “widely varying perspectives must be represented.” The first week comprises five sessions open to the public, in which the participants will discuss their works with Rihm, Dieter Ammann, and such other guests as composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders. Following this are an intensive rehearsal phase with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI and two closing concerts.
Closing Concerts of the Composer Seminar 28 August | 18.20 29 August | 14.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI see p. 51 and 53
Monday, 17 August Symphony Concert 3 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“We are all equally important when we are onstage” Lahav Shani
CHF 200/170/130/90/60/30 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20308
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Lahav Shani conductor Daniel Barenboim piano Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 ca. 52’
György Ligeti Lontano for large orchestra ca. 11’
Maurice Ravel Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé ca. 18’
ten | Look | Lis oge ther Enjoy – T ncert C at the o see p. 97
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Lahav Shani
Concert Introduction (in German) 18.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
Making music as a shared ritual of joy is what attracted the conductor and pianist Lahav Shani, who was born in 1989 in Tel Aviv, to his profession: “When 100 people onstage think in sync and have the same impulses, it is a very strong feeling,” he explains. Shani sees himself as one among equals and prefers chamber music-like communication to issuing commands. He has come a long way with this formula – all the way to the top of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he made a brilliant debut at LUCERNE FESTIVAL in 2019, and of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, whose leadership he took on this year. Daniel Barenboim has played an important role in his meteoric career, acting as mentor and even letting him conduct his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra this evening – a true vote of confidence! Barenboim himself appears as pianist in the formidable Second Piano Concerto by Johannes Brahms. The concert ends with an overwhelming celebration of joy: the ecstatic bacchanal that Maurice Ravel wrote to crown his ballet Daphnis et Chloé.
“There would be no Beethoven without us – we are this music” Igor Levit
Tuesday, 18 August Recital 1 – Piano 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 120/100/80/70/50/30 Seating map 4, p. 101 | Event no. 20309
Igor Levit piano Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata in D minor, Op. 31, no. 2 The Tempest
ca. 24’
Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 22
ca. 26’
Piano Sonata in C major, Op. 2, no. 3 ca. 26’
Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 13 Grande Sonate Pathétique ca. 18’
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Igor Levit
“This Beethoven jumps up at us, grabs us by the ears, and thoroughly shakes us up,” Christian Wildhagen wrote in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung about Igor Levit’s complete cycle of the composer’s 32 piano sonatas at LUCERNE FESTIVAL, adding that the pianist would be the great new hope for the 2020 Beethoven Year. In the fifth of eight concerts comprising the cycle, Levit presents two of the best-known Beethoven sonatas. He will open this recital with the revolutionary Tempest Sonata, which builds all three movements up from an arpeggio. The heroic Pathétique, which Levit describes as “hard, black, final,” will conclude the program. In between, he will play Beethoven’s early work of genius, the C major Sonata Op. 2, no. 3. Its abundance, the composer himself remarked, would have been “enough to compose 20 pieces.” And the Op. 22 B-flat major Sonata similarly is in a class all its own, both technically and creatively. This is a work that plays idiosyncratically with the allure of speed and wild accents.
40min “Inside the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA” 18.20 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Principals from the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
Wednesday, 19 August Recital 2 – Piano and Voice 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“Janáček has no inhibitions and is incredibly honest” Sir András Schiff
CHF 170/150/110/90/60/30 Seating map 3, p. 101 | Event no. 20310
Sir András Schiff piano Jan Petryka tenor Ema Nikolovska alto Women of the Bavarian Radio Choir Ludwig van Beethoven To the Distant Beloved, Op. 98 ca. 15’ Robert Schumann Fantasy in C major, Op. 17 ca. 32’ Leoš Janáček The Diary of One Who Disappeared for tenor, alto, women’s chorus, and piano ca. 36’
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Sir András Schiff
In this recital, which András Schiff has designed with extreme subtlety, everything revolves around love. Ludwig van Beethoven, whose own dreams of love remained unfulfilled, represents love as unattainable in his song cycle To the Distant Beloved. Robert Schumann, who had to go through a lengthy battle before he could lead Clara Wieck to the altar, quotes the closing song from Beethoven’s cycle (“Nimm sie hin denn, diese Lieder”) in the finale of one of his most important piano pieces: the C major Fantasy, a confession of love that was written in a state between hope and anxiety. On the other hand, in The Diary of One Who Disappeared, Leoš Janáček considers the fate of a peasant boy who, against all odds, chooses a young Roma woman and secretly vanishes with her. Accompanying Schiff is the tenor Jan Petryka, a pupil of Marjana Lipovšek, who has a clear, light voice that makes him destined for lieder. That the pair dedicate their recital to Ernst Haefliger and Rafael Kubelík, the most prominent performers of Janáček’s Diary, is also surely a declaration of love.
“A gift!”
Thursday, 20 August Debut 1 12.15 Lukaskirche
The Strad on Timothy Ridout
CHF 30 Event no. 20311
Timothy Ridout viola Frank Dupree piano Ludwig van Beethoven Horn Sonata in F major, Op. 17 arranged for viola by Rudolph Leopold ca. 16’
Robert Schumann Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73 ca. 12’
York Bowen Viola Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 22 ca. 26’
This concert has no intermission
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Timothy Ridout
As a solo instrument, the viola has long led a shadowy existence. It was not thought to be capable of playing virtuoso passages and has instead been ridiculed as the butt of jokes. Jokes like those told by the conductor Hans Knappertsbusch: “The viola is as superfluous as the Pope’s privates.” What a mistake that is! This will be impressively demonstrated by the British violist Timothy Ridout. Born in 1995, he won the Lionel Tertis and Cecil Aronowitz Competitions and was named a BBC New Generation Artist in 2019. On his Lucerne debut, he makes up for the lack of older repertoire by performing an arrangement of Beethoven’s magnificent Horn Sonata. From the start, Robert Schumann, who originally conceived his Op. 73 Fantasy Pieces for clarinet, allowed for alternative versions featuring strings. The F major Sonata, which Ridout’s fellow countryman York Bowen composed in 1906, is the one piece here written originally for the viola and contains voluptuous, romantic music that shows off this distinct-sounding instrument in the very best light.
Thursday, 20 August Symphony Concert 4 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“Without Rachmaninoff, we pianists would feel orphaned” Denis Matsuev
CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20312
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Riccardo Chailly conductor Denis Matsuev piano Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 ca. 32’
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 ca. 60’
In memoriam Mariss Jansons
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Riccardo Chailly and Denis Matsuev
Concert Introduction (in German) 18.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
Among the major projects that Riccardo Chailly has undertaken as Music Director of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA is his Rachmaninoff cycle featuring the complete piano concertos and symphonies. “Rachmaninoff is an obvious choice for Lucerne,” explains Chailly. “First off, because he lived nearby for a few years in his Villa ‘Senar’ in Hertenstein. But also because Rachmaninoff ’s works are still new repertoire for the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA – and an interpretive challenge.” This time, Chailly and his orchestra devote themselves to the Second Symphony and the Second Piano Concerto – works presenting the composer at his best. Take the Adagio from the E minor Symphony, with its unending clarinet solo and one of those characteristic Rachmaninoff melodies in the orchestra that are full of longing, melancholy, and radiance – so beautiful you can’t get them out of your head. Joining them is the Russian pianist Denis Matsuev, who effortlessly masters the most virtuosic passages and can assert himself even when cataracts of orchestral sound are flooding the stage.
Dr. Christoph M. Müller and Sibylla M. Müller – Concert Sponsor
“Music should heal our souls” Cecilia Bartoli
Friday, 21 August Symphony Concert 5 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20313
Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco Gianluca Capuano conductor Cecilia Bartoli mezzo-soprano “Farinelli and His Times” works by Nicola Porpora, Johann Adolph Hasse, Georg Friedrich Handel, and Leonardo Leo Concert ends at approx. 22.15
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Cecilia Bartoli
A woman plays a man who appears on stage as a woman: Cecilia Bartoli’s new program, “Farinelli and His Times,” takes the idea of the “trouser role” to an extreme. She slips into the role of a singer who was arguably the most-famous castrato in the history of music and whose voice so enraptured contemporaries that they thought he must be an angel. Or the devil. “Farinelli was very virtuosic, with a range extending to the highest and lowest notes,” says Bartoli. “But what I find even more amazing is his personality and his gift for touching people: with very simple and melancholy melodies.” Singing arias composed for Farinelli, however, presents the mezzo-soprano with a real challenge: the range is enormous, and the nearly endless melodic phrases require a huge amount of breath – and along with the usual fluid coloratura fluency, she also needs to be able to draw on reserves for dramatic moments. But Cecilia Bartoli understands that her voice has developed: “My instrument is like a good red wine, barrique. I began as a young white wine.”
Nestlé AG – Concert Sponsor
40min “Shostakovich’s Secret: The Fifth Symphony” 18.20 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Saturday, 22 August Cosmos Boulez 1 11.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
“Hopefully I won’t fall flat on my face” Pierre Boulez on Polyphonie X
CHF 50 Event no. 20701
Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY Lin Liao conductor Pierre Boulez Polyphonie X for 18 Instruments (two performances) each ca. 16’
Victor Colţea new work for ensemble
world premiere | commissioned by LUCERNE FESTIVAL ca. 10’
Samir Amarouch new work for ensemble
world premiere | commissioned by LUCERNE FESTIVAL ca. 10’
Wolfgang Rihm will introduce all three works during the concert (in German)
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Pierre Boulez
The “Pierre Boulez Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by Pierre Boulez: lucernefestival.ch/boulez
This work has almost become a myth. The fragmented sounds of Polyphony X, in which rigid serial thinking is applied to all the parameters, provoked a veritable scandal at the 1951 Donaueschingen Festival and abruptly catapulted Pierre Boulez, then 26, to the top of the musical avant-garde. But shortly afterward he removed this fascinatingly radical experiment in serial composition from his official catalogue, since he felt it was fraught with too much theory. The score never appeared in print; the recording of the premiere has hitherto been the work’s only evidence. Almost 70 years later, Polyphonie X is now for the first time being performed again – actually, twice, because this complex work demands repeated listening. The LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY thus launches the Cosmos Boulez series, which will run for several years. The series will rediscover important works by Boulez that the Academy’s founder withdrew during his lifetime. And it will allow these pieces to enter into a revealing dialogue with other works by Boulez, as well as with music by the younger generation of composers.
“I was reminded of paintings by Pollock”
Philippe Manoury on Boulez’s manuscript
Saturday, 22 August Cosmos Boulez 2 16.00 Lukaskirche CHF 50 Event no. 20315
Arditti Quartet: Irvine Arditti and Ashot Sarkissjan violin Ralf Ehlers viola Lucas Fels cello Pierre Boulez Livre pour quatuor
fourth movement reconstructed by Philippe Manoury and Jean-Louis Leleu on a commission from the Daniel Barenboim Stiftung and the Philharmonie de Paris Swiss premiere of the reconstruction ca. 60’ Introductory comments will be given during the concert (in German) This concert has no intermission
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Arditti Quartet
Pierre Boulez was extremely meticulous. He withdrew works that did not meet his enormous demands and took up others to rework over and over. He subjected his only string quartet to the latter process, returning to it almost for a lifetime – yet it remained a torso. By 1949, at the age of 23, Boulez had already completed a first version that is a kind of compendium of the compositional achievements of the 20th century. After parts had been performed, however, he allowed the Livre pour quatuor to fall into oblivion because of the extreme challenges it posed for the musicians; meanwhile, he reworked and expanded it several times. The legendary Arditti Quartet presented a revised version in 1985, which Boulez took up again in 2011-12. The fourth of the six movements remained a mere sketch until his death. At the suggestion of Irvine Arditti and with the support of the musicologist Jean-Louis Leleu, composer Philippe Manoury, a close collaborator of Boulez at IRCAM in Paris, struggled his way through “the labyrinths of this musical jungle” and at last completed the Livre.
The “Pierre Boulez Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by Pierre Boulez: lucernefestival.ch/boulez
Saturday, 22 August Symphony Concert 6 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“You must shout for joy, you must shout for joy!”
Dmitri Shostakovich
CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20316
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 Sinfonia pastorale ca. 43’
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 ca. 48’
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Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Concert Introduction (in German) 17.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
“In the 2020 Beethoven Year,” says Yannick Nézet-Séguin, “we should be aware of how original, provocative, and fundamentally radical his symphonies are in their conception. What we now consider ‘classical’ was a shock to Beethoven’s contemporaries.” Take the Pastoral Symphony, with its resounding naturalism: birdcalls, an idyllic scene by the brook, the thunderstorm that Beethoven dramatically sets to music, complete with flashing lightning and crashing thunder. After the danger has been overcome, he introduces a hymn-like song of thanksgiving in the finale – the musical epitome of deeply felt joy. Dmitri Shostakovich dramatized joy in the final movement of his Fifth Symphony in an utterly different way. He gave the work a positive ending to spare himself from being the target of Stalinist criticism. But he designed something deceptive in the process: “Joy is compelled under threats,” as he explained. With this concert, Nézet-Séguin continues his gratifying collaboration with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, which began so successfully last summer with the same pairing of composers: Beethoven and Shostakovich.
“The basic idea: absolute eradication of any trace of inheritance” Pierre Boulez on Book I of Structures
Saturday, 22 August Late Night 2 22.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall CHF 50 Event no. 20705
Juliet Fraser soprano Nicolas Hodges and Michael Wendeberg piano Alexis Baskind/IRCAM Computer Music Design (Saunders) Rebecca Saunders new work for soprano and tape Swiss premiere ca. 15’
Choler for two pianos
ca. 17’
Pierre Boulez Structures pour deux pianos, 1er livre ca. 17’
Structures pour deux pianos, 2ème livre
ca. 23’
Introductory comments will be given between the works by the artists who are performing (in German) This concert has no intermission
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nn Nicolas Hodges
In addition to rediscovering Polyphony X and the completed version of the Livre pour quatuor, the 2020 Summer Festival’s focus on Boulez will include another highlight from the Academy founder’s stringently serialist early work: the first volume of Structures from 1951-52, in which not only the sequences of pitches but their durations, volumes, and timbres are serially determined. According to Boulez, “such abstract ideas, so to speak, could be realized only by means of an instrument that was freed as far as possible from ‘realistic’ constraints.” Which is why he chose the piano, an instrument that is “least resistant to extreme use.” With the second volume of Structures, four years later, Boulez opened his radical serial thinking to encompass experiments with “guided chance” and a greater sense of sonority. This Late Night program additionally features music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders, including a brand-new vocal composition commissioned by the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/ Musique (IRCAM), the institution founded by Boulez.
The “Pierre Boulez Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by Pierre Boulez: lucernefestival.ch/boulez The “Rebecca Saunders Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders: lucernefestival.ch/saunders
Sunday, 23 August Recital 3 – Piano 11.00 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“The work is sacred, but humanity is free”
Igor Levit
CHF 120/100/80/70/50/30 Seating map 4, p. 101 | Event no. 20318
Igor Levit piano Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata in D major, Op. 28 Pastorale ca. 25’
Piano Sonata in G major, Op. 31, no. 1 ca. 25’
Piano Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 27, no. 1 Sonata quasi una fantasia ca. 15’
Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, no. 2 Sonata quasi una fantasia ca. 14’
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Igor Levit
Igor Levit concludes the sixth episode of his excursion through the cosmos of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas with the famous Moonlight Sonata. Its nickname, incidentally, did not come from the composer but occurred to the poet Ludwig Rellstab while rowing across Lake Lucerne at night, when the waves gently rippling over the lake reminded him of Beethoven’s music. The first movement in particular, which probably gave Rellstab this idea, is one of Beethoven’s bestknown pieces. Levit believes that its familiarity fades away the more closely one studies it: “The goal is this: I always try to get back to the beginning,” he explains. “I don’t go onstage to live up to the expectations of the big hit that comes to mind when you say ‘Moonlight Sonata.’” Even in such familiar music, there is still something new to discover. The rest of the program in any case contains less frequently heard surprises, such as the Sonata in G major, Op. 31, no. 1, which Levit considers “crazy” with its “incredibly humor-filled second movement, funny in the best sense of the word and imitation operetta. It’s almost a caricature.”
“You have to let the monster inside you get out” Rebecca Saunders on composing for the voice
Sunday, 23 August Cosmos Boulez 3 16.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall CHF 50 Event no. 20702
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY David Robertson conductor Juliet Fraser soprano Pierre Boulez Livre pour cordes ca. 11’
Éclat/Multiples for orchestra
ca. 25’
Rebecca Saunders Nether for soprano and ensemble
Swiss premiere ca. 31’
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Juliet Fraser
It was difficult to find an approach to including singing in her composition, “because I don’t like to be tied down to making one statement in my music,” remarks Rebecca Saunders. But she couldn’t let go of Molly Bloom’s famous monologue from James Joyce’s great 20th-century novel, Ulysses, where Molly pours forth in seemingly chaotic stream-of-consciousness comprising fragments of memory and sensory impressions as she is just on the threshold of sleep. It inspired Saunders to create several works. In Nether from 2019, the soprano sings, whispers, and breathes; individual words flash by and disappear again in the flow of the music. Saunders explains that she was concerned to make sure that “what the text is made of can be heard and felt.” Nether is an extensive “extraction” from her great Joyce adaptation Yes. Such continuations likewise characterize the oeuvre of Pierre Boulez, as in the “work-in-progress” Éclat, which Boulez continued to expand on with Multiples but never completed. This is a musical meditation on reverberation and the ever changing timbral mixtures of piano, celesta, harp, mandolin, guitar, and percussion.
The “Rebecca Saunders Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders: lucernefestival.ch/saunders The “Pierre Boulez Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by Pierre Boulez: lucernefestival.ch/boulez
Sunday, 23 August Symphony Concert 7 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla has it!” Die Welt
CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20320
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla conductor Gautier Capuçon cello Jean Sibelius Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 ca. 50’
Camille Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 ca. 21’
Claude Debussy La Mer ca. 25’
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Gautier Capuçon
Concert Introduction (in German) 17.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
That Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is the first female conductor to be chosen to take on the role of “artiste étoile” at LUCERNE FESTIVAL is no coincidence. Born in 1986, the Lithuanian artist has played a significant role in the success women are finally having in gaining access to one of the last male-dominated bastions: the conductor’s podium. Since 2016, she has led the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, succeeding Sir Simon Rattle and Andris Nelsons. Although she always keeps her legion of musicians under control, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla doesn’t need to resort to authoritarian poses. She works with a compelling naturalness, combining poetry with power. Her flowing gestures almost seem like music themselves. And what a magical sound she elicits from her orchestra! Expect her to coax a noble melancholy from The Swan of Tuonela in Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen Suite that exudes noble melancholy, weightless elegance in the First Cello Concerto by Saint-Saëns – played by the phenomenal French virtuoso Gautier Capuçon – and genuinely roaring waves of sound in Debussy’s La Mer to conclude the program. This concert is under the auspices of the Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL
“Life and art are to Holst not enemies” Ralph Vaughan Williams
Monday, 24 August Symphony Concert 8 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20321
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra CBSO Youth Chorus (Julian Wilkins chorus master) Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla conductor Piotr Anderszewski piano Samuel Barber Adagio for Strings ca. 9’
Béla Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3, Sz 119 ca. 26’
Gustav Holst The Planets, Op. 32 ca. 52’
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Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
“I know that music!” many will say to themselves when Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra perform The Planets. Few classical works have been as exploited as this “extraterrestrial” orchestral suite by the British composer Gustav Holst. His famous score has inspired the soundtracks to such films as Star Wars and Batman. Musicians from other genres – like Frank Zappa, Sarah Brightman, and Manfred Mann – have adapted its melodies. But have you ever experienced the complete original live, with its huge line-up of performers (including women’s choir)? Gražinytė-Tyla chose The Planets in keeping with the summer theme of “Joy” because the fourth movement, “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity,” sets off veritable fireworks of exuberance. That effect will be all the more powerful since the program kicks off with the tragic pathos of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, followed by Bartók’s poignant Third Piano Concerto, with the Polish poet of the keyboard Piotr Anderszewski as the soloist. The Concerto is a swan song to the beauty of this world that Bartók wrote shortly before his death.
Concert Introduction (in German) 18.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
Tuesday, 25 August Debut 2 12.15 Lukaskirche CHF 30 Event no. 20323
“A complete thrill from start to finish”
New York Classical Review on Daniel Ciobanu
Daniel Ciobanu piano Moritz Moszkowski Étincelles, Op. 36, no. 6 ca. 3’
Modest Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition ca. 33’
George Enescu Carillon nocturne, Op. 18, no. 7 ca. 6’
Sergei Prokofiev Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat major, Op. 83 ca. 19’
Alfred Grünfeld Soirée de Vienne, Op. 56. Concert paraphrase on waltz themes from Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus ca. 6’
This concert has no intermission
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Daniel Ciobanu
Opening Concert “In the Streets” 17.30 Europaplatz Music groups from all over the world “In the Streets” 19.00–22.00 Lucerne’s Old City Music groups from all over the world
Daniel Ciobanu, who was 19 at the time, first stepped into the limelight when the Chinese grandmaster Lang Lang invited him to perform as part of his show “100 Pianos” at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 2011. The Romanian-born pianist was also given the opportunity to perform as the soloist in Constantin Silvestri’s Bacchanale. Ciobanu has long since exceeded the expectations he aroused back then. He has won prizes in numerous competitions, including the 2017 Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv, where he also received the audience award. He has appeared at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Gasteig in Munich, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei. And he has performed with such renowned partners as the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. For his Lucerne debut, Ciobanu will span a wide emotional arc, from the nocturne to the fizzy champagne mood of the paraphrase from Die Fledermaus with which he will close the recital.
“I imagine a composition like degrees of the brightness of light”
Tuesday, 25 August Symphony Concert 9 – räsonanz Donor Concert 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Kaija Saariaho
CHF 120/100/80/70/50/30 Seating map 4, p. 101 | Event no. 20324
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Susanna Mälkki conductor Andreas Haefliger piano Kaija Saariaho Vista for orchestra Swiss premiere ca. 25’
Dieter Ammann The Piano Concerto (Gran Toccata)
Co-commissioned by the Munich Philharmonic, BBC Radio 3, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthaus Vienna, LUCERNE FESTIVAL, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and Pro Helvetia Swiss premiere ca. 32’
Jean Sibelius Tapiola, Op. 112 ca. 20’
Per Nørgård Symphony No. 8
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Swiss premiere ca. 28’ Susanna Mälkki
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor Susanna Mälkki will illuminate the Lucerne Festival sky with a trio of northern lights. With his last great orchestral work, named after the Finnish forest god Tapio, Jean Sibelius conjured up Nordic nature: “We are completely under the spell of the gloomy pine forests; we hear the howling winds whose icy tones seem to come from the North Pole itself,” as conductor Walter Damrosch put it. The Dane Per Nørgård is also an idiosyncratic loner like Sibelius, who strongly influenced him in his younger years. His Eighth Symphony, which premiered in 2012, likewise evokes colorful, dazzling soundscapes. And the music of the Finn Kaija Saariaho, whose new orchestral piece Vista will be introduced, is also of an intense luminosity. Dieter Ammann’s piano concerto, another new piece on the program, was deemed “fast and furious, compact, phenomenal” by music critic Anna Kardos after the premiere at the London Proms last year. “If Easy Rider hadn’t become a movie but a piece of classical music, this is what it would have sounded like.” räsonanz Donor Concert. An initiative of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, in cooperation with LUCERNE FESTIVAL and Bavarian Radio’s musica viva
Concert Introduction (in German) 18.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium Dieter Ammann in conversation with Mark Sattler
Wednesday, 26 August Symphony Concert 10 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“Sensual, bright, transparent”
Philippe Jordan on the sound of the Vienna Symphony
CHF 220/190/150/110/70/30 Seating map 2, p. 100 |Event no. 20326
Vienna Symphony Philippe Jordan conductor Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider violin Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 ca. 43’
Richard Strauss Don Juan, Op. 20 ca. 19’
Orchestral Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 ca. 25’
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Philippe Jordan
“In the Streets” 18.00–22.00 | Lucerne’s Old City Music Groups from all over the World 40min “The Art of Conducting” 18.20 | KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Sylvain Cambreling | Participants in the Conducting Fellowship
Facets of joy: the heavenly melodies in the Adagio of the Brahms Violin Concerto radiate spiritual serenity, wistfully transfigured and deeply soulful. Strauss’s Don Juan launches with a victoriously rising main theme that flickers with a fiery lust for life; every bar breathes virility and vitality. And the popular waltzes and glistening sounds of the Suite from Der Rosenkavalier evoke the myth of Old Vienna and the Habsburg era’s melancholy sensuality with nostalgia but also irony. Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan has long been an expert in this musical style, having been at the helm of the Vienna Symphony since 2014; with this ensemble he is now making a sort of farewell tour to LUCERNE FESTIVAL. In September 2020, he will take up his new post as Music Director at the Vienna Staatsoper, thus ascending the Olympus of the opera scene. The world-class Danish violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider has also made Vienna his adopted city. And he has been equally successful as a conductor. He is now even taking up the chief position at the Orchestre national de Lyon.
“The oboe comes closest to the human voice” Salomo Schweizer
Thursday, 27 August Debut 3 12.15 Lukaskirche CHF 30 Event no. 20327
Salomo Schweizer oboe Petya Mihneva piano Robert Schumann Three Romances, Op. 94 ca. 15’
Astor Piazzolla Libertango | ca. 4’ Isaac Albéniz Aragón, Sevilla and Cataluña from the Suite española, Op. 47 ca. 16’
Christoph Willibald Gluck Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orfeo ed Euridice ca. 3’
Antonio Pasculli Concerto sopra motivi dell’opera “La Favorita” di Donizetti ca. 12’
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Gaetano Donizetti Andante sostenuto | ca. 5’ This concert has no intermission
Salomo Schweizer
Salomo Schweizer (“the Swissman”) has an appropriate last name since he is indeed Swiss (and even a native of Lucerne). But his career as an oboist has already taken him abroad. Born in 1993, he studied not just in his home town and at the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne but with the Berlin Philharmonic’s Dominik Wollenweber as well. And since 2017 he has been playing as principal oboist with the Braunschweig Staatsorchester, with which he has already performed oboe concertos by Mozart, Haydn, and Strauss. Schweizer is “a genuine hit and a gift,” according the Goslarer Zeitung, and the Friends of the Braunschweig Staatstheater honored him with their advancement award. His Lucerne debut program centers around the summer theme of “Joy.” The Spaniard Isaac Albéniz’s Suite española presents extroverted dances of joy, while the concerto by Antonio Pasculli, known as the “Paganini of the oboe,” brims with virtuosic exuberance. Joy also informs the inspiring selections from Gluck, Donizetti, and Schumann, whose the Three Romances were a Christmas gift to his wife Clara.
Debut at the Primary School On 28 August Salomo Schweizer will also perform for schoolchildren.
Thursday, 27 August Symphony Concert 11 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“Beethoven’s music speaks to all humans” James Gaffigan
CHF 120/100/80/70/50/30 Seating map 4, p. 101 | Event no. 20328
Lucerne Symphony Orchestra James Gaffigan conductor Steven Isserlis cello Robert Schumann Overture to the dramatic poem Manfred, Op. 115 ca. 12’
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 ca. 23’
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 ca. 42’
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Steven Isserlis
“In the Streets” 18.00–22.00 Lucerne’s Old City Music groups from all over the world 40min “Music and Poetry: Beethoven Meets Hölderlin” 18.20 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall pre-art soloists | Michael Engelhardt
What panache! In Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, rhythm reigns triumphant. An underlying pulsation that is dancelike shapes the music from the very start. The Seventh is driven incessantly by the timpani, and its finale culminates in a passage of completely unbridled energy, where the strings gyrate at such a crazy tempo it can make you feel almost dizzy – as if the entire concert hall is about to lift off. Beethoven’s Seventh is manic, a psychedelic experience that has something hypnotic about it. The composer drew for some of his gestures on music of the French Revolution: Freedom! Equality! Fraternity! This is the message of joy that James Gaffigan and the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra will convey through music. The first part of the concert, on the other hand, is more introverted, with Steven Isserlis performing Schumann’s late Cello Concerto. This work seems almost like a piece of himself, so strongly has Isserlis made it his own and internalized it. Such heartfelt enthusiasm would certainly not be conceivable without joy – the joy he finds in this wonderful music.
Artemis Group / Franke Group – Concert Sponsor
“In the end, the conductor must become invisible” Sir George Benjamin
ten | Look | Lis e ther g o T Enjoy – cert n o C e th at
Mahler Chamber Orchestra Sir George Benjamin conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano
Friday, 28 August Symphony Concert 12 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 170/150/110/90/60/30 Seating map 4, p. 101 | Event no. 20330
see p. 97
Henry Purcell Fantasias No. VII and XIII arranged for string orchestra by Walter Goehr ca. 8’
Maurice Ravel Piano Concerto in G major
ca. 23’
George Benjamin new work
Commissioned by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, and BBC Radio 3 Swiss premiere ca. 12’
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart Symphony in G minor, K. 550
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ca. 32’ Pierre-Laurent Aimard
A composer and a conductor who has found equal success in both disciplines: Pierre Boulez probably comes to mind for most. George Benjamin, who was composer-in-residence at LUCERNE FESTIVAL in 2007 and who also worked with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY in several concerts last summer, continues along Boulez’s path with determination. Yet he observes: “Conducting has much less to do with composing than many might think. Of course, there are overlapping aspects that can be mutually helpful. And I learn by studying and conducting works that I love.” Benjamin’s concert with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra will demonstrate the results of these interconnected gifts when he juxtaposes his latest orchestral score with fantasias by the Baroque “Orpheus Britannicus” Henry Purcell, Mozart’s great Symphony in G minor, and Maurice Ravel’s fantastic G major Piano Concerto. The solo part will be played by the matchless Pierre-Laurent Aimard, who actually recorded the Ravel Concerto with Boulez ten years ago. Remarkable how paths converge ...
Clariant Foundation – Theme Sponsor
“In the Streets” 18.00–22.00 | Lucerne’s Old City Music groups from all over the world 40min “Classical Music That Is Written Today” 18.20 | KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI | Students of the Composer Seminar | Wolfgang Rihm
Saturday, 29 August Chamber Music 2 11.00 Lukaskirche CHF 50 Event no. 20331
“The music was a proof; God existed”
Aldous Huxley on Beethoven’s Heiliger Dankgesang
Quatuor Diotima: Yun-Peng Zhao and Constance Ronzatti violin Franck Chevalier viola Pierre Morlet cello Michael Engelhardt reciter Alex Nante new work for string quartet
world premiere | commissioned by LUCERNE FESTIVAL ca. 15’
Rebecca Saunders Unbreathed ca. 20’
Friedrich Hölderlin In lieblicher Bläue blühet ca. 7’
Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 ca. 39’
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Quatuor Diotima
The “Rebecca Saunders Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders: lucernefestival.ch/saunders “In the Streets” 10.00–12.00 and 18.00–22.00 Lake Promenade/Lucerne’s Old City Music groups from all over the world
Friedrich Hölderlin rhapsodizes about the “freedom to set off wherever I want” in his ode Lebenslauf (“The Course of Life”). His peer Ludwig van Beethoven certainly would have agreed without any hesitation. The 250th anniversaries of both artists are being celebrated in 2020, and both shared an unconditional preoccupation with freedom: in the political but also the aesthetic sense. Beethoven and Hölderlin broke conventions and unsettled their contemporaries with their uncompromising attitudes. Uncompromising, yet grounded in a deep exploration of tradition. Take the famous Heiliger Dankgesang (“Song of Thanksgiving from a Convalescent to the Godhead”), the Adagio from Beethoven’s A minor Quartet Op. 132 – before which Hölderlin’s late poem In lieblicher Bläue blühet will be recited: it begins as a simple chorale in the ancient Lydian mode. The juxtaposition of these two figures continues with a pair of compositions from the present that were written specifically for the Quatuor Diotima and which likewise venture “into the unbounded.”
“Art comes from the question as to what is next” Wolfgang Rihm
Saturday, 29 August Closing Concert of the Composer Seminar 14.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall CHF 30 Event no. 20815
Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI Pierre Boulez Initiale for seven brass players ca. 5’
Composer Seminar Showcase Wolfgang Rihm will introduce the participants of the Composer Seminar and their works during the concert (in German) This concert has no intermission | ends at approx. 16.00
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Wolfgang Rihm
Wolfgang Rihm has given the young participants in this year’s Composer Seminar an unusual instrumentation to work with: seven brass players with harp, piano, and two percussionists. What a variety of timbres is possible! The particular makeup of this formulation, however, is not random but is based on Pierre Boulez’s Initiale, a virtuoso brass fanfare that the founder of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY wrote for the Houston Symphony Orchestra in 1987. The piece will open a concert in which you can encounter a wide range of examples of the emerging generation of composers, for variety is what matters to Rihm. His goal is “to promote distinctiveness rather than a seeming adherence to conventions, whether avant-garde or reactionary.” And because few people are able to talk about music with such illumination – about what its creators intended and what listeners perceive – Rihm himself will offer guidance through this survey of works and introduce each composer and their works during the concert.
The “Pierre Boulez Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by Pierre Boulez: lucernefestival.ch/boulez
“A real hero”
Saturday, 29 August Symphony Concert 13 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Igor Stravinsky on Anton Webern
CHF 120/100/80/70/50/30 Seating map 4, p. 101 | Event no. 20703
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY Sylvain Cambreling conductor Nicolas Hodges piano Anton Webern Variations for Orchestra, Op. 30 ca. 8’
Igor Stravinsky Movements for piano and orchestra ca. 10’
Iannis Xenakis Shaar for large string orchestra ca. 14’
Anton Webern Symphony, Op. 21 ca. 10’
Igor Stravinsky Variations (Aldous Huxley in memoriam) ca. 5’
Rebecca Saunders new work for piano and orchestra
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Sylvain Cambreling
The “Rebecca Saunders Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders: lucernefestival.ch/saunders
Roche Commissions world premiere ca. 25’
On the one hand, archaic, unfettered rhythms, on the other, strictly disciplined 12-tone music: Igor Stravinsky and the Second Viennese School – Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern – are considered by many to be opposites representing two utterly different lineages of musical Modernism. But in his later years, Stravinsky took as a model none other than Anton Webern. In works such as the mini-piano concerto Movements, he turned to serial technique and declared that Webern was “a perpetual Pentecost for all who believe in music.” The LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY will trace this connection and also present a brand-new score by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders. Continuing her series of major solo concertos, she has now turned to the piano – an instrument that has always been part of her life. Both her parents as well as her grandmother were pianists, while her grandfather was an organist. “The piano was always being played somewhere,” Saunders recalls of her childhood. “Both my parents owned a grand piano, there was a piano we children played on, and another one stood unused in a cupboard.” Roche – Main Sponsor and Partner LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY
“They say that every second Lithuanian is a choir conductor …” Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Saturday, 29 August Late Night 3 22.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall CHF 50 Event no. 20322
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla vocals Vera Klug flute Frank Stadler violin Hossam Mahmoud oud “The Secret of Love” Tarab – Arab instrumental pieces and songs This concert has no intermission
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Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Everything will be a little different at this Late Night event. The maestra, “artiste étoile” Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, will not appear on the podium to lead her orchestra. Instead, she will meet up with three musician friends for an intimate chamber music dialogue – and will also sing! Instead of works from the classical Western repertoire, the program includes Arabic songs: settings of Egyptian love poems, which she will perform together with violinist Frank Stadler, flutist Vera Klug, and Hossam Mahmoud on the oud, the Arabic short-necked lute. The idea behind this unusual project is rooted in Gražinytė-Tyla’s background, since she began her career in her Lithuanian homeland with vocal music and was a choir director. “My way into a score is still guided by singing,” she explains. “When I prepare a work, I often sing or speak through the voices. Even in rehearsals, when I want to convey how I would like a certain phrase or other to be heard, singing it out is often the clearest and most direct way. It’s one of my main tools.”
“Freedom, progress, is the only purpose in the world of art as in universal creation”
Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven Day
We celebrate Ludwig van Beethoven with a day full of music: from morning to night, with chamber music and symphonic works, including a children’s version of Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio and a panel discussion. Masterpieces such as the Eroica and the Grosse Fuge will be juxtaposed with contemporary scores – as well as with poems by Friedrich Hölderlin, another artist whose 250th anniversary we celebrate in 2020.
Beethoven Day | 30 August
“I could spend a lifetime playing nothing but Beethoven” Veronika Hagen
Chamber Music 3 11.00 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 90/60/30 Event no. 20329
Hagen Quartet: Lukas Hagen violin I Rainer Schmidt violin II Veronika Hagen viola Clemens Hagen cello Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
ca. 40’
String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130, with the Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 ca. 47’
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Hagen Quartet
“You can’t understand anything until you’ve heard it,” writer Aldous Huxley has one of his fictional characters say in reference to Beethoven’s late string quartets. Indeed, the five quartets that Beethoven created between 1824 and 1826, during the last years of his life, when he was already completely deaf and isolated from the outside world, are his legacy, his messages to posterity. This was also Igor Stravinsky’s understanding. He described these works as “my highest articles of musical belief ” and thought them to be “as indispensable to the ways and meanings of art, as a musician of my era thinks of art and has tried to learn it, as temperature is to life. They are a triumph over temporality, too, for at least they cannot be bombed, melted down, bulldozed by progress.” What better way to begin Beethoven Day at LUCERNE FESTIVAL than with two of these legendary quartets? Especially since they are being performed by the Hagen Quartet, whose musical DNA has long included the 16 Beethoven quartets as an integral component.
Beethoven Day | 30 August Chamber Music 4 13.30 Kunstmuseum Luzern
“Where are you, light?”
Friedrich Hölderlin
CHF 30 Event no. 20334
pre-art soloists: Boris Previšić flute and concept Matthias Arter oboe Azra Ramić clarinet Julia Schröder violin Lea Boesch viola Tobias Moster cello Aleksander Gabrys double bass 58
Michael Engelhardt reciter “Nachtgesänge verfugt” (“Songs at Night Plus Fugue”)
pre-art soloists
ca. 45’
Ludwig van Beethoven Grosse Fuge in B-flat major, Op. 133 arranged for ensemble by Matthias Arter world premiere
Friedrich Hölderlin Nachtgesänge Co-production of pre-art and LUCERNE FESTIVAL This concert has no intermission
Ludwig van Beethoven and Friedrich Hölderlin, each of whom is being honored for a milestone birthday in 2020, never met each other. Both were born in 1770, and both took art to extremes in the true sense of the word: take Beethoven with his Grosse Fuge, Op. 133, and Hölderlin with his cycle of poems Nachtgesänge, the peak of his oeuvre. In this “composed encounter,” the two masterpieces will gain an additional resonance. With this interweaving of tones and words – which seems highly organic through the quadripartite nature of the Grosse Fuge and the triadic form of the Nachtgesänge – the linguistic aspect of Beethoven’s music and the sounds of Hölderlin’s poetry are allowed to fertilize each other. Michael Engelhardt’s recitation and Matthias Arter’s new ensemble version of the Grosse Fuge highlight the richness of color, structures, and melodic character of these works. Yet each of them remains an “opus magnum” that challenges and enriches our listening experiences.
Beethoven Day | 30 August
“God! What darkness here!” Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio
Young – Fidelio 1 & 2 14.00 and 16.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall CHF 20/10 (adults/children) Event no. 20904/20905
Taschenoper Lübeck: Carl Augustin musical direction Sascha Mink staging Katia Diegmann sets Margrit Dürr Leonore Dorothee Bienert Marzelline Richard Neugebauer Florestan Titus Witt Pizarro Tobias Hagge Rocco “Fidelio for Children” arranged after Ludwig van Beethoven by Margrit Dürr and Julian Metzger for five singers, oboe, bassoon, horn, violin, and cello ca. 60’
For listeners ages 8 and up A production of Taschenoper Lübeck in cooperation with Theater Lübeck 59
“Fidelio for Children”, Taschenoper Lübeck
“Nameless Joy!” they sing at the end of this unusual Fidelio production: Steadfast friendship and moral courage have defeated despotism and tyranny. Beethoven’s only opera tells the story of the freedom-loving Florestan, who is held prisoner for political reasons by the repressive governor Pizarro. But Florestan’s girlfriend Leonore (in this children’s opera they are not yet married) devises a plan to free him and, disguised as the prison guard Fidelio, sneaks into Pizarro’s diabolical world. But can a single human bring down the Pizarro system? On Beethoven Day, we will present an adaptation of Fidelio for small Festival visitors. They will be right at the center of the action and even a decisive actor. And they will get an impression of what it might feel like to be in a society ruled by others and how difficult it is to stand by one’s ideals in such a society. But also a sense that hope is omnipresent and that things can change (for the better) – especially when you stick together!
Extra School Performance On 31 August there will be two additional performances for schoolchildren.
Beethoven Day | 30 August Performance 15.00 Europaplatz, KKL Luzern, and Luzerner Theater free admission Tickets available only from Luzerner Theater starting on 17 August | t +41 (0)41 228 14 14 (box office will be closed while the Theater is on vacation from 21 June to 16 August)
“All humans will become brothers” Friedrich Schiller
Matthew Herbert concept and electronics André de Ridder concept and conductor Esmeralda Conde Ruiz concept and chorus master stargaze Choirs from Lucerne “Beethoven NINE!” ca. 90’
A production of the Barbican Centre (London), Luzerner Theater, and LUCERNE FESTIVAL
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Additional Performance 28 August | 17.30 (premiere)
detailed information at lucernefestival.ch
“Joy, beautiful spark of the gods” is heard everywhere. At the turn of the year, at state-sponsored occasions, and at many other celebrations around the world as well, it is played over and over: Ludwig van Beethoven’s last symphony, the Ninth. The choral finale of this symphony, which sets Schiller’s poem An die Freude (the “Ode to Joy”) to music, is Beethoven’s indestructible signature piece. But what happens to the Ninth when a violinist performs the first movement all alone in the KKL Luzern? When the Adagio is transformed into a cloud of sound by Matthew Herbert floating above Europaplatz? When additional musicians march as an ensemble in star formation and sing the final chorus in the “Globe” of the Lucerne Theater together with amateur choirs? Beethoven’s Ninth descends from “Elysium” into the streets, inviting people to join in and thus fulfilling its vision: “All people become brothers.”
Beethoven Day | 30 August Chamber Music 5 15.30 Kunstmuseum Luzern CHF 30 Event no. 20335
Stefan Wirth piano Michael Engelhardt reciter “Bagatelles” premiere ca. 45’
Ludwig van Beethoven Six Bagatelles for piano, Op. 126 Friedrich Hölderlin In lieblicher Bläue blühet late poems This concert has no intermission
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Michael Engelhardt
“With a great man, everything is interesting, even small things,” observed the writer Jean Paul. After Ludwig van Beethoven and Friedrich Hölderlin had exhausted the possibilities of music and language, respectively, in terms of form and content, pushing these beyond their limits, the Op. 126 Bagatelles and the so-called “Tower poems” glisten crystal-like in their late work, condensed and concentrated, summing it all up. “But purity is also beauty,” wrote Hölderlin, while to his publisher Beethoven submitted “6 Bagatelles or Trifles for solo piano, some of which are rather more developed and probably the best pieces of this kind I have written.” Amazing correspondences emerge when Beethoven’s Opus 126 and Hölderlin’s late poems are juxtaposed and made to form simultaneous constellations. This is a dialogue that closely intertwines music and language and opens up new perspectives.
Beethoven Day | 30 August Additional Events Performance Interventions all day long in and around the KKL Luzern
Panel Discussion 16.00 KKL Luzern, Auditorium
free admission
free admission
Liturgical Service on the Summer Theme 10.00 Matthäuskirche
Young Students from the Canton School Alpenquai Michael Engelhardt conductor and reciter
Round table with François-Xavier Roth conductor Philippe Herreweghe conductor Rebecca Saunders composer
Florian Flohr and Marcel Köppli sermon and liturgy Soloists Stephen Smith music director
“Freude for Future” a LUCERNE FESTIVAL production
Moderator: Benjamin Herzog
Ecumenical liturgical service on the Festival theme of “Joy”
A Hölderlin intervention on the marathon Beethoven Day: Together with around 50 schoolchildren from the Canton of Lucerne, the actor and reciter Michael Engelhardt will rehearse selected songs, hymns, and chants by Friedrich Hölderlin that are designed as choral speech. The texts involve Hölderlin’s sense of rebellion as well as his love of nature: an artistic echo of “Fridays for Future.”
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“In the Streets” 11.00–14.00 and 16.15–18.15 (Closing Concert) Europaplatz Music groups from all over the world
Michael Engelhardt
“Historical? Experimental!” (in German) ca. 60’
in collaboration with Radio SRF 2 Kultur
250 years of Ludwig van Beethoven: This panel discussion will explore the composer from different perspectives. One focus will be on the broad spectrum of Beethoven performance, ranging from traditional approaches to historically informed performance practice, which has transformed our understanding of Beethoven over the past three decades. But there will also be attention to how Beethoven’s work and his uncompromisingly experimental attitude continue to influence the present generation of composers.
Rebecca Saunders
Liturgical Service for the Church Consecration 17.00 Jesuitenkirche Soloists, Vocal Ensemble, and Orchestra of the Collegium Musicum Luzern Pascal Mayer conductor Jan Dismas Zelenka Missa Dei Patris, ZWV 19
Philippe Herreweghe
Beethoven Day | 30 August
“The era of specialists is over” François-Xavier Roth
Symphony Concert 14 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 3, p. 101 | Event no. 20337
Royal Concertgebouworkest François-Xavier Roth conductor Pekka Kuusisto violin Ludwig van Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3 in C major, Op. 72a ca. 14’
Wolfgang Rihm Sostenuto for orchestra Swiss premiere ca. 10’
Rebecca Saunders Still for violin and orchestra Swiss premiere ca. 19’
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 Sinfonia eroica
ca. 48’ 63
François-Xavier Roth
The Frenchman François-Xavier Roth is a universalist among conductors: at home with Rameau as much as with Rihm, with Beethoven as well as with Boulez. This does not mean that he treats music from different centuries as though it were all on the same playing field – quite the contrary. With his own ensemble, Les Siècles, he performs works using the instruments appropriate for each era and thus arrives at a strikingly idiomatic sound. The world’s finest symphony orchestras have been benefiting from this experience as well and regularly invite Roth to guest conduct: like the fabulous Concertgebouworkest from Amsterdam this evening. But because Roth is second to none in his understanding of the effects of time and the development of music history, what is old sounds amazingly new and what is new astonishingly familiar. You can look forward to experiencing this tremendous effect when “FXR” (as he is known) pairs two works by Beethoven, whom he considers “the first political composer,” with new pieces by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders and Academy Director Wolfgang Rihm. Zurich Insurance Company Ltd – Main Sponsor
The “Rebecca Saunders Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders: lucernefestival.ch/saunders
Monday, 31 August Symphony Concert 15 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“Haydn’s music is happy music” Philippe Herreweghe
CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20336
Royal Concertgebouworkest Collegium Vocale Gent Philippe Herreweghe conductor Robin Johannsen soprano David Fischer tenor Florian Boesch bass-baritone Joseph Haydn The Creation, Hob. XXI:2 Oratorio in three parts ca. 100’
Intermission after ca. 50 minutes
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Philippe Herreweghe
Concert Introduction (in German) 18.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
“And there was light!” With a glistening C major chord, the sun breaks out of the darkness. The moon and stars sparkle like silver while refreshing rain trickles down on the earth, which is populated by all kinds of animals. The bassoon depicts the cooing dove, and virtuoso arabesques on the flute conjure the warbling nightingale. Trills deep in the bass suggest the roaring lion, gentle string tremolos depict an army of buzzing insects, and gently swaying melodies evoke sheep as they graze on the meadow. Isn’t our world simply beautiful? With almost childlike joy in the power of tone painting, Joseph Haydn composed a monument to this beauty with his oratorio The Creation. His praise of God’s work will be interpreted by Philippe Herreweghe, the Belgian grand master of historically informed performance practice, though he will be leading the Royal Concertgebouworkest, a modern symphony orchestra. But Herreweghe is very familiar with the Amsterdamers, and he knows how to combine crisp, idiomatic period texture with lush sonority – so that it is not just the sun that will shine.
The Adecco Group Foundation – Main Sponsor
“Bach is the best touchstone for every young violinist” Yehudi Menuhin
Tuesday, 1 September Debut 4 12.15 Lukaskirche CHF 30 Event no. 20339
Dmitry Smirnov violin “Unraveled” Johann Sebastian Bach Partita in D minor for solo violin, BWV 1004 ca. 33’
juxtaposed with miniatures by George Perle, Roberto Gerhard, Sándor Veress, Helena Winkelman, György Kurtág, and Garth Knox This concert has no intermission
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Dmitry Smirnov
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita in D minor, which ends with the famous Ciaccona, is one of the greatest works of art in the history of music – and a mystery. Even Johannes Brahms considered it “one of the most wonderful, incomprehensible pieces of music. On a single staff, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and the most powerful feelings.” The Russian violinist Dmitry Smirnov, who was born in 1994 in St. Petersburg, will attempt to get to the bottom of this mystery by inserting between the five movements miniatures that contemporary composers have written for solo violin – also as a reaction to Bach. He calls this program “Unraveled,” which suggests something disentangled, decoded. Smirnov studied with Rainer Schmidt in Basel and won the Tibor Varga Competition in 2015 and the Concours de Lausanne in 2017. The Hungarian violin virtuoso Barnabás Kelemen affirms that he is the right artist to perform Bach: “His playing is impulsive and extravagant and comes from the heart. He approaches Bach with Baroque temperament.”
Tuesday, 1 September Symphony Concert 16 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“He struck like a meteor”
The Berlin Philharmonic’s Matthew Hunter on Kirill Petrenko
CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20340
Berlin Philharmonic Kirill Petrenko conductor Anton Webern Passacaglia, Op. 1 ca. 10’
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11 ca. 30’
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 ca. 42’
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Kirill Petrenko
Young – Concert for Students 10.00 | KKL Luzern, Concert Hall Berlin Philharmonic Brass Players | Sarah Willis 40min “Powerful Eloquence: Hölderlin’s Choral Poetry” (in German) 18.20 | KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Young Students from the Canton School Alpenquai | Michael Engelhardt
This is a program for musical gourmets. Kirill Petrenko and the Berlin Philharmonic will open their first concert with Anton Webern’s Opus 1, a passacaglia. And they will conclude it with Brahms’s Fourth, whose finale is also a passacaglia. This age-old variation form, in which a concise thematic formula in the bass line is repeated over and over throughout the entire work, on the one hand requires much compositional tinkering. Yet at the same time, the continual repetitions trigger a trance-like state in the listener. Both aspects have their appeal: the intelligent construction, which won the seal of approval from Schoenberg and Webern of Brahms as “the progressive,” as well as the striking effect on the subconscious. Clara Schumann, a friend of Brahms, summed up the paradox perfectly when she attested to the Fourth Symphony as being “so full of deep passion despite all the hard effort.” Meanwhile, the fire of youth burns without restraint in Felix Mendelssohn’s first symphonic work, which he composed when he was only 15. The result is music that simply brings joy.
“I would like to make a case for Josef Suk” Kirill Petrenko
Wednesday, 2 September Symphony Concert 17 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20341
Berlin Philharmonic Kirill Petrenko conductor Daniil Trifonov piano Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 ca. 36’
Josef Suk Asrael Symphony in C minor, Op. 27 ca. 60’
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Daniil Trifonov
This is a Beethoven summit meeting not to be missed: Kirill Petrenko, the charismatic musical wizard and new head of the Berlin Philharmonic, joins Daniil Trifonov, the superstar among pianists of the younger generation – an artist who combines stupendous virtuosity with interpretive depth. Their performance of Beethoven’s heroic Third Piano Concerto promises to be an unrepeatable experience. After intermission, Petrenko and the Berliners will then turn their attention to a discovery when they present the five-movement symphony Asrael. Written by the Czech composer Josef Suk in 1905-06 following the death of his father-in-law Antonín Dvořák and Suk’s wife (Dvořák’s daughter Ottilie), it represents a requiem and a leave-taking. Asrael traces a musical panorama, from its dance of death and funeral march to its transcendent finale, where the gate of heaven actually seems to open up. “Asrael is Suk’s most important and tragic work,” said Petrenko at the Philharmonic’s annual press conference. “I have never understood why it has not become more widely known.”
Credit Suisse – Main Sponsor
Concert Introduction (in German) 18.30 | KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr Poetic Performance (in German) 18.30 | stattkino Luzern “Language! Great Cinema” Michael Engelhardt recites Hölderlin
Thursday, 3 September Debut 5 12.15 Lukaskirche
“She guides us into another reality” Belgian Radio on Zee Zee
CHF 30 Event no. 20342
Zee Zee piano Robert Schumann Carnival Scenes from Vienna, Op. 26 ca. 21’
Olivier Messiaen Regard de l’Esprit de joie from Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus ca. 9’
Maurice Ravel Gaspard de la nuit ca. 22’
Franz Liszt Rhapsodie espagnole (Folies d’Espagne et Jota aragonesa), S 254 ca. 13’
This concert has no intermission
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Zee Zee
Debut at the Primary School On 4 September Zee Zee will also perform for schoolchildren.
Her real name is Zhang Zuo, but because Americans struggled with the correct pronunciation of her name, the Chinese pianist decided to use her two initials as a pseudonym. As Zee Zee, the young keyboard artist has made an international career. She studied with Leon Fleisher and is advised by Alfred Brendel, won first prize at the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition and was named a New Generation Artist by the BBC. Zee Zee has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. She works closely with Paavo Järvi, who also appeared on her debut CD conducting piano concertos by Liszt and Ravel. The theme of “Joy” plays a leading role in Zee Zee’s Lucerne debut. She will perform Schumann’s exciting Carnival Scenes from Vienna, the “glad tidings” from Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, and Liszt’s Rhapsodie espagnole, a work full of animated outbursts. But with Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, she will plunge into the nocturnal side – demonstrating the full span of her virtuosity.
“Caution is the death of music” Stendhal
Thursday, 3 September Symphony Concert 18 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 220/190/150/110/70/30 Seating map 3, p. 101 | Event no. 20343
Il Giardino Armonico Giovanni Antonini conductor Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin Antonio Vivaldi Concerto in G minor, RV 157 ca. 7’
Luca Francesconi Spiccato il volo for solo violin ca. 6’
Antonio Vivaldi Concerto in D major, RV 208 Il Grosso Mogul ca. 15’
Giacinto Scelsi L’Âme ouverte for solo violin ca. 5’
Antonio Vivaldi Concerto in E-flat major, RV 253 La Tempesta di mare ca. 10’
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60 ca. 33’
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Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Here are two artists who both go for the jugular. Anyone who experienced Patricia Kopatchinskaja as our “artiste étoile” at LUCERNE FESTIVAL in 2017 will recall that she radically intensifies musical expression, taking it to extremes. The conductor and flutist Giovanni Antonini is likewise an advocate of interpretive freedom and will eagerly express things that are not written down in the score. This unorthodox approach makes the drama or comedy of the works being played much more effective. The exceptional Moldavian-Swiss violinist and the Italian guru of early music love unusual juxtapositions on their programs. So they will pair three concerti by Vivaldi, who extended the expressive spectrum in his own era with techniques such as “flying staccato” and beating the strings, with modern works for solo violin that address Vivaldi’s achievements or themselves invent new sonic textures. After intermission, Antonini and his splendid ensemble will then demonstrate how peppery Beethoven’s supposedly “innocuous” Fourth Symphony can sound when its brio is taken seriously.
40min “Spotlight on Rebecca Saunders” 18.20 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI | Ilan Volkov
“All the world’s a stage”
Thursday, 3 September Dance 20.00 Luzerner Theater in the Globe
William Shakespeare, As You Like It
Tickets available only from Luzerner Theater starting on 17 August | t +41 (0)41 228 14 14 (box office will be closed while the Theater is on vacation from 21 June to 16 August)
Caroline Finn choreography Fredy Studer composition and percussion Joana Aderi composition, keyboard, and vocals “Tanz Luzerner Theater” Ensemble Kathleen McNurney artistic director of “Tanz Luzerner Theater” “Tanz 34: Wie es euch gefällt” (“As You Like It”) Premiere ca. 75’
A co-production of Luzerner Theater and LUCERNE FESTIVAL
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Carlos Kerrnn Jr.
Additional Performances from 5 September until 4 October detailed information at lucernefestival.ch
William Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It undermines the traditional rules of love with its entertaining confusion about the joys of falling in love. The men are banished from their kingdom, the women dress up as men to be safe, they meet up in the Forest of Arden, and after some confusing business, the lovers at last find each other. On the basis of this material, British choreographer Caroline Finn creates a theatrical dance performance that focuses on the wacky events in the forest. Luzerner Theater’s stage will be transformed into a replica of the Globe Theatre, in keeping with Shakespeare: the audience members sit around the “stage forest” and become voyeurs of the spectacles that these characters offer – a bloodthirsty fight and the joyful process of falling in love, narrated through dance to live new music composed specifically for this choreography. The well-known Lucerne percussionist Fredy Studer and vocalist Joana Aderi, who will also play keyboard, will be part of the happenings in this arena full of joy as they interact with the dancers.
“Dvořák would be unthinkable without Czech folk music” Manfred Honeck
Friday, 4 September Symphony Concert 19 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20344
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Manfred Honeck conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 ca. 50’
Antonín Dvořák Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88
ca. 42’
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Anne-Sophie Mutter
What’s so special about Ludwig van Beethoven? Anne-Sophie Mutter believes that Beethoven’s music “really speaks to everyone.” A wonderful example is his Violin Concerto, which has been part of the legendary violinist’s remarkable career as a virtuosa ever since she first recorded it in 1979, at the age of 16, with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. The songlike main theme, with its consoling melody that rises aloft, is simply delightful; the second movement spirals into heavenly heights with poignant lyricism, and the rondo at the end is a zippy finale that blazes with the sound of horns, trumpets, and timpani. The Czech composer Antonín Dvořák could also provoke feelings of joy with his music. Take his Eighth Symphony, with its birdcalls that he elaborates into a jubilant song, a hymn to the divine Creation. But the work also includes a melancholic waltz whose beauty simply melts your heart, and at the end Dvořák sweeps you away with strains evoking folk music. Manfred Honeck’s recorded performance of this work was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2015.
KPMG AG – Concert Sponsor
Poetic Performance (in German) 20.30 stattkino Luzern “Language! Great Cinema” Michael Engelhardt recites Hölderlin
Saturday, 5 September Symphony Concert 20 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“He’s something special”
Pianist Emanuel Ax on Gustavo Dudamel
CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20347
Vienna Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel conductor Valentine Michaud (winner of the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award) Claude Debussy Rapsodie pour orchestre et saxophone ca. 10’
Florent Schmitt Légende for alto saxophone and orchestra, Op. 66 ca. 11’
Igor Stravinsky The Firebird Fairy-tale ballet in two tableaux ca. 45’
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Valentine Michaud nn
Concert Introduction (in German) 17.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
When the Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel conducts, he radiates joy with his flying black curls and animated gestures. The pleasure is doubled when you have Dudamel conducting the finale from Stravinsky’s Firebird. The music rapturously celebrates the liberation of 13 Russian virgins who had been held captive by the evil magician Kashchei. And when the overwhelming conclusion to this ballet score is performed by an orchestra as brilliant as the Vienna Philharmonic, you can only ask: what more could you possibly want? Perhaps the first part of this concert has an answer, since that is where you can get hear Valentine Michaud, winner of the 2020 Credit Suisse Young Artist Award. The French saxophonist, who was born in 1993 in Paris, also won the 2017 Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes Award – earning a double distinction that underscores her exceptional talent, since up to now the cellist Sol Gabetta had been the only winner of both competitions. Michaud will be introduced playing two classics of the saxophone literature: Debussy’s Rapsodie and Légende by Florent Schmitt.
Credit Suisse – Main Sponsor
“I’m positively obsessed with the trumpet” Rebecca Saunders
Saturday, 5 September Late Night 4 22.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall CHF 50 Event no. 20810
Dirk Rothbrust and Christian Dierstein percussion Marco Blaauw trumpet Soloists of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI Rebecca Saunders Neither for four double-bell trumpets
world premiere of the new version ca. 20’
dust for percussion
world premiere of the new version for percussion ensemble ca. 40’ This concert has no intermission
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Marco Blaauw
What’s better than a single trumpet? A trumpet that sounds like two. Marco Blaauw has developed just such a double trumpet, which – as its name suggests – has two bells. He can produce the craziest sounds with it: for example, shifting between open and muted tones in a flash, mixing both together, or playing with microtones. In close collaboration with Blaauw, Rebecca Saunders has composed a fascinating duo for this double-bell trumpet. Neither displays the new instrument’s variety of timbres and playing techniques in an extremely sophisticated way. Think of it as a kind of sonic sculpture that can be viewed from different angles and under shifting degrees of light. For her Lucerne retrospective as composer-in-residence, Saunders is working with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI on a new version of Neither for four musicians. She will also present her piece dust, originally conceived for solo percussion, in a version for expanded ensemble that has also been conceived as spatial music.
Swiss Re – Partner LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI
The “Rebecca Saunders Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders: lucernefestival.ch/saunders
Sunday, 6 September Symphony Concert 21 11.00 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“A music that doesn’t stop even when it gets messy” Wolfgang Rihm on Sub-Kontur
CHF 120/100/80/70/50/30 Seating map 4, p. 101 | Event no. 20811
Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI Ilan Volkov conductor Dirk Rothbrust and Christian Dierstein percussion Marco Blaauw trumpet Rebecca Saunders blaauw for double-bell trumpet ca. 11’
Wolfgang Rihm Sub-Kontur for orchestra Swiss premiere ca. 27’
Rebecca Saunders void for two percussion players and orchestra Swiss premiere ca. 19’
Alba for trumpet and orchestra Swiss premiere ca. 23’
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Dirk Rothbrust
The “Rebecca Saunders Package” 20% discount when purchasing three different concerts featuring music by composer-in-residence Rebecca Saunders: lucernefestival.ch/saunders
As a tireless researcher into sounds, Rebecca Saunders likes to focus on individual instruments, working intensively with performers to try out unusual playing techniques. Alba was written for the trumpeter Marco Blaauw, one of her favorite musicians: “A white noise, as if one had looked directly into the glistening corona of a solar eclipse,” wrote the neue musikzeitung. And the percussionists Christian Dierstein and Dirk Rothbrust were said to have evoked “inspiring sessions of sonic exploration,” which preceded the composition of void. Wolfgang Rihm’s orchestral piece Sub-Kontur promises massive ensemble eruptions and fractured soundscapes. It was composed in 1976, right after Dis-Kontur, which the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI presented last summer. “Both works are thick chunks that chew up archetypes from the symphonic literature,” explains Rihm – in this case, the Adagio characteristic of late Romanticism. Rihm, then 24, provoked heated debates with his subjective musical language: “I knew I was dealing with materials that were in the avant-garde’s poison cupboard at the time.”
Swiss Re – Partner LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI
“Music is our way of playing” Eleonora Savini
Sunday, 6 September Young – Children’s Concerts 1 & 2 11.00 and 14.00 Maskenliebhabersaal CHF 20/10 (adults/children) Event no. 20910/20911
Eleonora Savini violin Federico Carraro viola Giuditta Gaudioso painting and stage design Elisabetta Dagostino costumes Pietro Gaudioso artistic director and choreographer “ViolínViolá” A musical excursion through pictures with music by Alessandro Rolla, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Bohuslav Martinů et al. ca. 50’
For listeners ages 5 and up This performance has no intermission
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nn Eleonora Savini and Federico Carraro
In search of perfection, a violist practices day and night in an old, remote house – and forgets about the world and life outside his self-imposed solitude. Suddenly, moved by his music, one of his favorite portraits comes to life. It leaves the canvas and decides to accompany him with the violin on a musical journey that is as romantic as it is entertaining … In this staged concert for the whole family, the paintings are part of the stage design. They move about and are illuminated in different ways, creating constantly new forms in the interplay of shadow and light, revealing and concealing the two protagonists. Is their encounter a mere dream or is it real? The violinist Eleonora Savini and the violist Federico Carraro met in 2012 at the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY and bring their different experiences together in this project – hers in various LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG productions, his at the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI.
Sunday, 6 September Symphony Concert 22 16.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
“I want to touch people with my music” Bettina Skrzypczak
CHF 50 Event no. 20348
Basel Sinfonietta Baldur Brönnimann conductor Andreas Grau and Götz Schumacher piano Fritz Hauser percussion Bettina Skrzypczak new work for orchestra
world premiere | commissioned by LUCERNE FESTIVAL | ca. 20’
György Kurtág/György Kurtág jr. Zwiegespräch (“Dialogue”) new version for solo percussion and orchestra by Olivier Cuendet world premiere of the new version | ca. 20’
Michael Pelzel Lock-in Machine for two Midi pianos, keyboard, and orchestra world premiere | commissioned by the Basel Sinfonietta and LUCERNE FESTIVAL ca. 20’ 76
All three works supported by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia Baldur Brönnimann and the Basel Sinfonietta
Concert Introduction (in German) 15.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Mark Sattler in conversation with the composers
This concert has no intermission
Some works keep on growing. Zwiegespräch was composed by György Kurtág in conjunction with his son in 1999. Here, nine movements for string quartet meet with the synthesizer interventions of György Kurtág, Jr. With each performance, the work-in-progress has continued to develop further. “Today there isn’t one note in common with those played at the first concert,” explains the younger Kurtág. Composer and conductor Olivier Cuendet, who presented an orchestral version of Zwiegespräch in 2011, has now expanded this intra-family dialogue and created a new version authorized by Kurtág senior for the percussionist Fritz Hauser, who brings his very own aesthetic to the mix. In his new piece, Michael Pelzel also sets in motion dialogues between two pianists as well as between them and the orchestra. On top of this, the two midi pianos can be controlled remotely by another pianist. The third premiere on this program with the Basel Sinfonietta is a colorful orchestral piece by Bettina Skrzypczak that works intensively with percussive elements to trace the phenomenon of time and the processual nature of musical form.
“Natural beauty and grandeur” Gustavo Dudamel on Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony
Sunday, 6 September Symphony Concert 23 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 320/270/220/150/80/40 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20350
Vienna Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel conductor Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
ca. 35’
Sergei Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100 ca. 45’
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Gustavo Dudamel
With his Fifth Symphony, which he composed during the middle of the Second World War in 1944, with its millions upon millions of dead, Sergei Prokofiev wanted to invoke a song to the free and happy human. To this end, he came up with melodies in the style of the so-called “new simplicity” that were conceived in the spirit of Russian folk song, creating a symphonic panorama of epic breadth and filled with enormous climactic moments. And he crowned the whole work with a theme in the finale that sounds like the epitome of joy as it jauntily rises up against a pulsating accompaniment. It is no coincidence that Gustavo Dudamel and the Vienna Philharmonic have chosen this work to accentuate this year’s Festival theme of “Joy.” Naturally, Ludwig van Beethoven easily matches that spirit with his Second Symphony. On the one hand, the Second evokes the panache of music from the French Revolution and features powerfully syncopated rhythms, while on the other, in the graceful slow movement, it flows with idyllic melody that Hector Berlioz likened to “a delightful depiction of innocent happiness.” Credit Suisse – Main Sponsor
Concert Introduction (in German) 17.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
Monday, 7 September Symphony Concert 24 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“I’m almost maniacally optimistic” Sir Simon Rattle
CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20351
London Symphony Orchestra Sir Simon Rattle conductor György Ligeti Atmosphères for large orchestra ca. 9’
Richard Wagner Prelude to the Romantic opera Lohengrin ca. 11’ Anton Webern Six Pieces for large orchestra, Op. 6 ca. 12’
Richard Wagner Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde ca. 17’
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 ca. 42’
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Sir Simon Rattle
Concert Introduction (in German) 18.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
Where does Ligeti end and Wagner begin? It’s not easy to tell when Sir Simon Rattle has Ligeti’s Atmosphères flow seamlessly into the ethereal sounds that begin the Lohengrin Prelude. Atmosphères ends with swooping harmonics that fade into inaudibility, only to be followed by music of surreal “blue-silver beauty,” as Thomas Mann put it, which likewise has the violins play harmonics in their highest register. A similar ploy is repeated when Rattle links Webern’s Six Pieces for Orchestra with the Prelude to Tristan and Isolde and the famous “Tristan chord,” a sonority that defies clear interpretation in terms of conventional harmony – and with which Wagner opened the door to Modernism. The moral of the story? The old and the new are much closer to each other than we might think, and not two separate silos. After intermission comes Brahms’s most joyful symphony, the Second, whose “happy and delightful mood” captivated the composer’s contemporaries: “This is all blue sky, trickling springs, sunshine, and cool, green shadows,” as the doctor Theodor Billroth, a friend of Brahms, described it.
The Winner Is ... Connaught Brass!
Tuesday, 8 September Debut 6 12.15 Lukaskirche CHF 30 Event no. 20352
Connaught Brass: Aaron Akugbo and Harry Plant trumpet Robyn Blair horn Chris Brewster trombone Aled Meredith-Barrett tuba Claudio Monteverdi Scherzi musicali ca. 12’
Jan Bach Rounds and Dances
ca. 23’
Victor Ewald Andante from the Brass Quintet No. 3 in D-flat major, Op. 11
ca. 5’
James MacMillan Adam’s Rib for brass quintet
ca. 12’
Jan Koetsier Brass Quintet, Op. 65
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ca. 14’
This concert has no intermission
Connaught Brass
Without Philip Jones, the legendary British trumpeter, all the popular brass ensembles from today’s musical life might not even exist. That’s because it was Jones who “invented” this formation: “I sat in the orchestra pit at Covent Garden and was bored to death from playing for 15 minutes in the evening at most, and only if the composer wanted the best for me.” That changed when Jones had the idea of forming his own brass ensemble and commissioned all sorts of arrangements and new works. His Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, which existed from 1951 to 1986, became a model for many other groups. In memory of this pioneer, his widow Ursula Jones, a member of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Foundation Board, initiated the Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition, which was first held in 2019. The eminent jury, under the direction of Reinhold Friedrich, awarded first prize to the Connaught Brass Ensemble – and immediately recommended that the quintet, which was founded in 2016 at the Royal Academy of Music in London, be included in the Lucerne Debut series.
Debut at the Primary School On 9 September Connaught Brass will also perform for schoolchildren.
“To live, I will die”
Tuesday, 8 September Symphony Concert 25 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Gustav Mahler
CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20353
London Symphony Orchestra London Symphony Chorus (Simon Halsey chorus master) Sir Simon Rattle conductor Elsa Dreisig soprano Elisabeth Kulman alto Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 2 in C minor Resurrection Symphony ca. 90’
This concert has no intermission
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Sir Simon Rattle
Concert Introduction (in German) 18.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Susanne Stähr
No one can remain unmoved by this music. At least that is what Mahler’s sister Justine reported after the world premiere of the Resurrection Symphony: “Such enthusiasm is seen only once in a lifetime! Afterward I saw grown men weeping and youths falling on each other’s necks.” Mahler was well aware of what he had accomplished. “A wonderful, gentle light penetrates us right to the heart,” he wrote about the consoling final chorus “You will rise again…” He explained the message of his worldview in this work: “There is no judgment – There is no sinner, no righteous man – no great and no small man – There is no punishment and no reward!” For Sir Simon Rattle, Mahler’s Second is connected with his early initial experience of the work: “My wish to become a conductor goes back to a performance of this symphony that I experienced as a 12-year-old. Mahler is trying to capture the whole world here. And this world ranges from the funeral of an unnamed hero to memories of the beauty and horrors of life, to resurrection and redemption. To me, it is one of the most moving orchestral works ever written.” Zurich Insurance Company Ltd – Main Sponsor
“A climber of mountains” Christian Thielemann on Beethoven
Wednesday, 9 September Symphony Concert 26 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20354
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden Christian Thielemann conductor Anja Kampe soprano Carl Maria von Weber Overture to the opera Oberon ca. 11’
Richard Strauss Three Hymns, Op. 71 ca. 22’
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
ca. 36’
ten | Look | Lis e ther g o T Enjoy – cert n o C e th at see p. 97
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Christian Thielemann
“Beethoven looked further into the future than any other composer,” Christian Thielemann asserts, referring to the richly varied nature of his works. “His music can be as unwieldy as it is dramatic, gripping or folklike. It is by no means easy to grasp this: the enormous variety that makes him all-encompassing and moves so many listeners, as well as the fact that these pieces that point so far into the future.” So how do you approach this Titan? Thielemann believes that Beethoven was “a very impulsive person” and thus describes his own Beethoven style as a “flexible mixture of instinct, reason, and taste.” For the first concert with his Dresden Staatskapelle, he will combine the famous “Fate” Symphony with an overture by Beethoven’s contemporary Carl Maria von Weber and a song cycle by the Beethoven admirer Richard Strauss. Anja Kampe, the internationally renowned dramatic soprano, will perform the settings of Hölderlin hymns, which are a highlight of the Strauss repertoire for connoisseurs.
40min “Beethoven, or the String Quartet Revolution” 18.20 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Viano String Quartet
Thursday, 10 September Debut 7 12.15 Lukaskirche
“The most important thing is trust” Hao Zhou on playing in a quartet
CHF 30 Event no. 20355
Viano String Quartet: Lucy Wang and Hao Zhou violin Aiden Kane viola Tate Zawadiuk cello Joseph Haydn String Quartet in G major, Hob. III:75 ca. 20’
Béla Bartók String Quartet No. 3, Sz 85 ca. 15’
Antonín Dvořák String Quartet in G major, Op. 106 ca. 35’
This concert has no intermission
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Viano String Quartet
How does a string quartet function? Actually not very differently than a piano does – only with 16 instead of 88 strings. That’s what the two Canadians Lucy Wang and Tate Zawadiuk and their two American colleagues Hao Zhou and Aiden Kane thought when they joined together to form an ensemble at the Colburn College of Music in Los Angeles in 2015 and were looking for a name for their musical foursome. “Viano” was the solution: “V” for violin, viola, and (violon)cello and “iano” for piano. The goal was to sound as homogeneous as if the four instruments were merely one. And there is no question that they have been impressively successful. The Viano String Quartet has won many prizes, including at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition and the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. In 2019, the ensemble won the foremost quartet competition of them all: the Banff International String Quartet Competition. For their Lucerne debut, Viano has chosen music from three eras: Classical, Romantic, and Modern, which will allow them to demonstrate how multi-faceted their 16-string “instrument” can be.
“A rare stroke of luck” Christian Thielemann on Anja Harteros
Thursday, 10 September Symphony Concert 27 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20356
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden Christian Thielemann conductor Anja Harteros soprano Carl Maria von Weber Overture to the opera Euryanthe ca. 11’
Richard Strauss Suite No. 1 from Der Rosenkavalier Op. 59 ca. 13’
Die heiligen drei Könige aus dem Morgenland, Op. 56, no. 6 Meinem Kinde, Op. 37, no. 3 Waldseligkeit, Op. 49, no. 1 Zueignung, Op. 10, no. 1 total duration ca. 14’
Befreit, Op. 39, no. 4 Ruhe, meine Seele, Op. 27, no. 1 Morgen, Op. 27, no. 4 Cäcilie, Op. 27, no. 2
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total duration ca. 15’
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28 ca. 16’
Anja Harteros
No one understood how to write for the human voice as well as Richard Strauss. No wonder, since he himself was married to a singer, Pauline de Ahna, whose silvery soprano he could illuminate in the best possible light through many of his songs. De Ahna’s reincarnation seems to be represented by Anja Harteros, who has been praised as the “soprano of the century.” The German-Greek prima donna will perform a selection of eight orchestral songs that demand everything: from the humor of Die heiligen drei Könige and the intimacy of Morgen to the euphoria of Zueignung. To start off, however, the Staatskapelle Dresden and its leader Christian Thielemann will put us into a joyful mood by performing the first suite from Der Rosenkavalier. And to end their Strauss program, Till Eulenspiegel will offer another chance to marvel at this composer’s wizardry of instrumentation and orchestral color, which is so powerful that we can imagine the adventures of the legendary trickster taking place right before our eyes.
40min “Lucerne is on the Seine” 18.20 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall Die Schurken (“The Desperadoes”)
“The violin is my voice”
Friday, 11 September Symphony Concert 28 19.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
Janine Jansen
CHF 290/240/190/130/70/40 Seating map 2, p. 100 | Event no. 20357
Munich Philharmonic Valery Gergiev conductor Janine Jansen violin Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 ca. 33’
Hector Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 ca. 52’
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Janine Jansen
For young Jean Sibelius, nothing was more beautiful than going out into nature with his violin and playing for the birds, the wind, and the waves. The light of the North radiates directly from his Violin Concerto. The continually repeated rhythms of the finale evoke ancient shamanic rituals and have a trance-like effect. The Dutch violinist Janine Jansen loves the Scandinavian tone of the work. “Technically, it is enormously challenging, but it doesn’t give off a feeling of empty virtuosity,” she says. Especially when she is the one playing it, for Jansen isn’t just one of the best in her profession but also has an unfeigned style that makes her interpretation particularly touching. Her partners are the Munich Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev, who will also perform Berlioz’s wild Symphonie fantastique on the second half of the program, ensuring pure sonic pleasure: a score that bursts with life, ranging from the waltz and a pastoral scene to a witches’ Sabbath, all of it a shear delight to hear.
Viking – Concert Sponsor
“Splendid, simply splendid!” Vorarlberger Nachrichten about Paris! Paris!
Saturday, 12 September Young – Die Schurken 1 & 2 11.00 and 14.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall CHF 20/10 (adults/children) Event no. 20908/20909
Die Schurken (“The Desperadoes”): Martin Schelling clarinet and actor Stefan Dünser trumpet and actor Goran Kovačević accordion and actor Martin Deuring double bass and actor Annechien Koerselman staging and script Nina Ball scenery “Paris! Paris!” a staged musical journey through time featuring works by Erik Satie, Bohuslav Martinů, Claude Debussy, Béla Bartók et al.
ca. 50’
For listeners ages 6 This performance has no intermission 85
Die Schurken
What if you could travel back in time? Say, to Paris, where there was lots of excitement in the air in the 1920s? Cinema had recently been invented, planes were for the first time reaching higher altitudes, and creative ferment was all around – thanks to artists who gathered from all around the world in the French capital, where they created their loveliest works. What would it be like to experience all this? It’s a pipe dream that three musician friends – an inventor, a writer, and a painter – cannot let go of. With the help of a time machine, they catapult themselves to the city on the Seine 100 years ago. There, they get their hands on the long-lost composition of a world-famous Parisian composer … “Paris! Paris!” is an eventful and inspiring musical and dramatic journey through time. The support of the audience serves not only to musically operate the time machine but also to evoke the unforgettable atmosphere that prevailed in Paris at the beginning of the last century.
Extra School Performance 11 September | 11.00 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Saturday, 12 September Symphony Concert 29 18.30 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall CHF 220/190/150/110/70/30 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20358
“From the heart – may it go to the heart!”
Ludwig van Beethoven on the Missa solemnis
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique Monteverdi Choir Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor Lucy Crowe soprano Elizabeth DeShong mezzo-soprano Allan Clayton tenor Morris Robinson bass Ludwig van Beethoven Missa solemnis in D major, Op. 123 ca. 75’
This concert has no intermission
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Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Concert Introduction (in German) 17.30 KKL Luzern, Auditorium with Malte Lohmann
Leading the Summer Festival’s finale is a man who has been redefining the standards of Beethoven interpretation in recent decades: Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the British pioneer of historically informed performance practice. “You have to know the past well to interpret music in a fresh and exciting way”: that is his guiding principle. Thus he has taken a critical look at the tempi and instrumentation, articulation, and type of vibrato that were once commonplace in Beethoven’s music, reinterpreting this composer’s art with empathy and a spirit of research. For the first of his two performances, Gardiner has chosen the overwhelming Missa solemnis, “a work before which I genuflect,” as he acknowledges. Beethoven composed this setting of the Mass between 1819 and 1823, when he was badly worn down by Fate and had completely lost his hearing. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Beethoven, formerly skeptical of the Church, now turned to faith and wrote such moving music that evokes the “dear father” and “greatest composer” who must “live above the stars.”
“I don’t find it interesting to set a text to music” Rebecca Saunders
Sunday, 13 September Chamber Music 6 11.00 Hochschule Luzern – Musik at Südpol, Salquin Concert Hall free admission
Students of the Hochschule Luzern – Musik Daniela Argentino soprano Charlotte Lorenz cello Clemens Heil conductor Erik Borgir chorus master “Rebecca Saunders Portrait Concert” Part of the grand opening of the Hochschule Luzern – Musik at Südpol Sole. Trio in F-sharp for mobile accordion, percussion, and piano ca. 12’
Solitude for solo cello
ca. 17’
Skin for soprano and 13 instruments ca. 28’
This concert has no intermission 87
Rebecca Saunders
This piece gets under your skin. “In working with the voice, with its limits and the need to breathe, an unembellished human vulnerability can be shown, an intimate immediacy,” Rebecca Saunders believes. In her large-scale vocal composition Skin, which was inspired by texts of Samuel Beckett and James Joyce, she “penetrates to the essence of the voice: the physical body that produces this sound.” As in her instrumental works, Saunders has “invented” entirely new forms of articulation that go far beyond what is commonly called singing. The soloist thus sings or whispers as she inhales and exhales, and her voice continually merges with the ensemble sound. “At once uncomfortable, tender, frightening, and poignant,” was the verdict of the jury for the British Composer Awards, which Saunders won in 2017 for Skin. You can also encounter in this program two solo pieces by our composer-in-residence for the 2020 Summer Festival, including Solitude, a subtly sounded-out composition for solo cello that traces the inner soundscapes of the instrument as if under a microscope.
Sunday, 13 September Symphony Concert 30 17.00 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
“Joy, beautiful spark of divinity!” Friedrich Schiller
CHF 220/190/150/110/70/30 Seating map 1, p. 100 | Event no. 20360
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique Monteverdi Choir Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor Lucy Crowe soprano Elizabeth DeShong mezzo-soprano Allan Clayton tenor Morris Robinson bass Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 ca. 25’
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 ca. 62’
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Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Finally, at the end of the Festival, we hear it: Beethoven’s famous melody of Joy, the source of the theme for our entire 2020 Summer Festival: “Joy, beautiful spark of divinity, / Daughter from Elysium, / we enter, drunk with fire, / Heavenly one, your sanctuary.” The catchy and hymn-like style that Beethoven used to set Friedrich Schiller’s verses immediately entices us to sing along, uniting everyone with the worldwide choir and thus embodying in itself the idea of a brotherhood of humanity. “What courage this man had!” Sir John Eliot Gardiner remarks about Beethoven’s Ninth. “He overcame all difficulties, his isolation, his black despair. Not even the fact that he was completely deaf, to the point that he would never hear his own music, could deter him. What’s more, Beethoven had the greatness to express through his sounds visions that could not be put into words. It’s simply overwhelming.” The circle now becomes complete: the spark of the gods that was ignited in the Opening Concert here bursts through to the finish line after four joyful Festival weeks.
© Peter Fischli/LUCERNE FESTIVAL
TAKE A 40-MINUTE BREAK TO ENJOY MUSIC! You don’t have to worry about dress codes or prior knowledge: The “40min” series offers hosted programs for beginners, connoisseurs, and explorers alike. Unconventional and full of variety! With Sylvain Cambreling, Michael Engelhardt, the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI, the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY, the pre-art soloists, Wolfgang Rihm, Rebecca Saunders, participants in the Composer Seminar and of the Conducting Fellowship, the Viano String Quartet, Ilan Volkov, and much more
Free admission
9 Concerts | always starts at 18.20 | KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall
Zurich Insurance Company Ltd – Partner 40min
Info: lucernefestival.ch/40min
Sol Gabetta, winner 2004
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For the Future of Music: How Credit Suisse Supports Young Talent LUCERNE FESTIVAL develops a variety of content-rich projects in conjunction with its Main Sponsors. In the current Festival program, we would like to highlight the engagement of Credit Suisse, which is deeply committed not only to the annual summer visits of the Vienna Philharmonic but to supporting the next generation of musicians as well. What is the best way to support the talented musicians of the next generation? One possibility might be with a concert through which they can acquire important experience and become acquainted with the world of music. Or through financial support to execute their own projects, whether a longplanned recording or investment in a firstclass instrument. For 20 years, the Credit Suisse Foundation has been combining both approaches through its two awards that alternate each year. Conferred in odd-numbered years, the
Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes honors highly talented young musicians who study in Switzerland. It is endowed with a cash award of CHF 25,000 and includes being on the program for a recital in the Summer Festival’s Debut series. In even-numbered years, the Credit Suisse Foundation, together with LUCERNE FESTIVAL, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Vienna Society of Friends of Music, presents the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award, which supports outstanding young soloists who are on the threshold of an international ca-
Kian Soltani, winner 2018
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Patricia Kopatchinskaja, winner 2002
reer. Here, too, the winners receive not only a handsome cash prize of CHF 75,000 but a unique performance opportunity as well: a concert with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which brings them to the attention of the international music public and, as experience shows, results in numerous other engagements. The best example of the enduing effects of this approach to date is the cellist Sol Gabetta. She won the Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes in 2001 and then, in 2004, the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award. Ever since then, she has been an integral part of international concert life. In 2018, Gabetta even shaped part of LUCERNE FESTIVAL’s programming in her role
as that summer’s “artiste étoile.” Violinists Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Vilde Frang, violist Antoine Tamestit, cellist Kian Soltani, pianist Martin Helmchen, and percussionist Simone Rubino likewise rank among the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award winners. Their appearances at the Summer Festival gave each of them an enormous career boost. This success story is now being continued by French saxophonist Valentine Michaud. In 2017 she received the Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes, and on 5 September she will be presented as the 2020 Credit Suisse Young Artist Award winner when she appears as a soloist with the Vienna Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel.
Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL
Since its founding in 1966, the Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL has made supporting the work of one of the world’s most renowned classical music festivals its goal.
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The moral and financial support that is obtained through this non-profit organization is invaluable for LUCERNE FESTIVAL. The Friends’ contributions, about eight percent of the total budget, are a significant contribution to the Festival’s financial security and sustainability. Aside from this funding source, LUCERNE FESTIVAL is mainly supported by private and corporate sponsors and receives only a small contribution in the form of subsidy from the public sector. The Friends have thus become an indispensable partner of the Festival. But not only is supporting the Festival of today a matter of central concern: they also hope to create a sustainable basis for the artistic activity of tomorrow by fostering such important projects as the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY and LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG. The circle of the Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL offers an opportunity to share in the experience of the Festival in all its variety and to deepen your musical experience through such exclusive events as artist meetand-greets and visits to rehearsals; through the Friends you can moreover make contact with an interesting and international group of like-minded peers. LUCERNE FESTIVAL is grateful to all of its Friends for their long-standing and loyal support.
We would especially like to thank our following patrons:
Thomas Abegg | Nachlass Ernest I. Ascher | Dr. Dr. Prof. H. Batliner | Jörg G. Bucherer | Coralma Stiftung, Meggen | Oswald J. Grübel | Yann und Sabine Guyonvarc’h | Happel Foundation, Luzern | International Music and Art Foundation, Liechtenstein | Dr. Klaus Jenny | Josef Müller Stiftung, Muri | Dr. Christoph M. Müller und Sibylla M. Müller | Michael Pieper | Charlotte ScheideggerVonlanthen | Thomas Schmidheiny | Carla Schwöbel-Braun Contact Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL Claudia Cavallari Administration and Individual Support Hirschmattstrasse 13 | CH–6002 Luzern t +41 41 226 44 14 | c.cavallari@lucernefestival.ch
Sharing the Concert Experience The Young Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL Do you want to immerse yourself more thoroughly in the world of classical music and share your impressions with other people? The Young Friends are a network of young adults up to age 39 who are interested in music and culture. We organize shared trips to the concert hall at reduced ticket prices, which are supplemented with a varied program of related events. You can obtain more information by writing jungefreunde@lucernefestival.ch.
A awless performance. In the concert hall and on board your SWISS ight. SWISS is the official airline of the Lucerne Festival. swiss.com
Made of Switzerland.
U S E F U L I N F O R M A T I O N
Ticketing Information DATES FOR TICKET SALES
Summer Festival | 14 August – 13 September 2020 Online ticket sales
begin on 23 March 2020, 12.00 noon (Swiss time)
Mail and fax sales
begin on 25 March 2020
Telephone sales
begin on 25 March 2020
Mo – Fr from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 1.30 to 5.00 pm (Saturdays and Sundays as well when the Festival is under way)
TICKETS & INFORMATION LUCERNE FESTIVAL Ticketing & Visitor Service | P.O. Box | CH–6002 Luzern t +41 (0)41 226 44 80 | f +41 (0)41 226 44 85 ticketbox@lucernefestival.ch | lucernefestival.ch 96
QR-CODE FOR INSTANT BOOKING Each Festival event has a unique QR code associated with it. You can scan this using the QR code reader on your smartphone and directly access the corresponding concert page on our website. This will make purchasing a ticket even easier. TICKET SALES AT THE BOX OFFICE Ticket Sales Throughout the Year As soon as online sales begin on 23 March 2020 at 12.00 noon (Swiss time), you can also obtain your concert tickets for the Summer Festival in person at the ticket windows of our off-site ticket outlets. Please find the addresses of our ticket outlets throughout Switzerland on p. 99.
During the Summer Festival Throughout the Summer Festival, from 11 August until 13 September, you can purchase tickets daily from 10.00 am until the end of the evening concert’s intermission by visiting the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ticketbox at the KKL Luzern’s main entrance (on the lake side). This includes tickets for Summer Festival events as well as for all events during our fall musical weekend, “Beethoven Farewell.” Ticket Purchase Directly at the Concert If you decide to attend the Festival at the last minute, you can buy tickets for a particular event on the same day (subject to availability) at the venue where the event will be perfo med, starting one hour before the performance begins.
Picking Up Tickets That Have Been Ordered Tickets that have been ordered in advance may be picked up starting one hour before the performance begins at the relevant venue. Duplicates in Case of Ticket Loss When possible, we will provide duplicates for lost concert tickets. Such duplicates are available exclusively at the evening box office for a fee of CHF 10 per order. It is not possible to print duplicates of tickets purchased at the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ticket window or at our sales outlets without customer data. Returning Tickets for Resale For events that are sold out, tickets can be resold on commission. The commission fee is 30% of the purchase price. The costs of the transfer transaction are payable by the recipient. The organizer accepts no liability for the resale of returned tickets. Print@Home-Tickets as well as tickets for which no customer data were stored at the LUCERNE FESTIVAL box office or that were bought at ticket outlets may not be resold. DISCOUNTS & SPECIAL OFFERS Discounted Tickets for Students and KulturLegi Holders University students, high school students, vocational students, and JTC members up to the age of 29 as well as KulturLegi holders may purchase tickets for CHF 20 starting one hour before the beginning of the performance for events which are not sold out. They must present valid identification. No additional price reductions are possible. Valid identification must also be shown at the entrances to the respective venues. Special student offers can be found at lucernefestival.ch/students.
Special Offer: “Look | Listen | Enjoy – Together at the Concert” When purchasing a ticket for selected events, adults will receive two free tickets of the same value to bring their young companions (children, grandchildren, godchildren, etc.) to the concert for free. This special offer is valid for all price groups. The selected events for which this offer is available are highlighted in the program section by an green circle. We will be publishing a list of more concerts about four weeks after the start of online sales, which you can find at lucernefestival.ch/look-listen-enjoy. WhatsApp-News for Students Which concerts have tickets still available for students at the box office? What’s on at the Festival for primary, secondary, and university and vocational students? Use our WhatsApp News feature to get up-to-date information. How does it work? Simply add a contact for our number +41 (0)79 385 36 53 and send the message “Start” using WhatsApp.
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Things To Know For Your Concert Visit Entrance to the Concert Hall The main KKL Concert Hall opens 30 minutes before the beginning of the concert. For events in the KKL’s Lucerne Hall or at one of the venues outside the KKL, if applicable, access will start shortly before the beginning of the event. For the sake of the musicians and the audience, latecomers will not be admitted until intermission or at the discretion of the Concert Hall staff. In certain instances concerts will have no intermission and allow no latecomers. If the concert is missed on account of tardy arrival, tickets will not be refunded.
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Read the Program Booklet before the Concert You may purchase your program booklet online in PDF form starting about seven days before the event in question. Each concert’s detail page on our website has a direct link where you can purchase and download the PDF. Audio and Video Recording For all LUCERNE FESTIVAL events, customers are strictly prohibited from making visual or audio recordings, including even for private use. Failure to comply will result in expulsion from the event venue. LUCERNE FESTIVAL makes audio and/or video recordings of certain performances. With the purchase of a concert ticket, the customer understands that LUCERNE FESTIVAL also uses recordings in which it is possible that he or she may appear.
Cloakroom The use of the cloakroom in the KKL Luzern is free of charge. Handbags and backpacks up to a size of 42 x 29.7 cm (A3) may be taken into the hall. All larger bags and luggage, as well as other bulky items, must be left at the cloakroom for a charge of CHF 5 per item. For security reasons, coats and jackets are also not permitted to be taken into the hall and can be left free of charge at the cloakroom. Information on Wheelchairs The main concert hall of the KKL Luzern has six wheelchair spaces with a good view of the stage, which are available on special terms. The Festival cannot ensure that accompanying persons will receive a seat in the same price range or in the general vicinity. You can access the KKL Luzern through ground-level doors directly into the foyer, from which elevators give you access to all levels of the building. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located near the cloakrooms on the downstairs level. Wheelchair spaces are also available at the other event locations. Should you require help at any event venue, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our local staff is always available to help with questions and problems. General Terms & Conditions The General Terms & Conditions may be found at lucernefestival.ch.
Ticket Outlets Throughout Switzerland BASEL Kulturhaus Bider & Tanner Vorverkaufsstelle Aeschenvorstadt 2 | CH–4010 Basel Mon – Wed and Fri, 9.00 am to 6.30 pm Thu, 9.00 am to 8.00 pm Sat, 9.00 am to 6.00 pm BERN tonträger music & more Schweizerhofpassage Spitalgasse 38 | CH–3011 Bern Tue – Fri, 10.00 am to 6.30 pm Sat, 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
SURSEE von Matt AG Buchhandlung Rathausplatz 2 | CH–6210 Sursee Mon, 1.30 pm to 6.30 pm Tue – Fri, 7.45 am to 12.00 noon and 1.15 pm to 8.30 pm (Thu to 8.00 pm) Sat, 8.30 am to 4.00 pm ZURICH Musik Hug Zürich Limmatquai 28–30 | CH–8001 Zürich Mon – Fri, 10.00 am to 6.30 pm Sat, 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
LUCERNE KKL Box Office (train station entrance) Europaplatz 1 | CH–6002 Luzern Mon – Fri, 9.00 am to 6.30 pm Sat, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm Musik Hug Luzern Luzernerstrasse 45 | CH–6030 Ebikon Tue – Fri, 10.00 am to 6.30 pm Sat, 9.00 am to 4.00 pm
With regard to all ticket sales from our sales partners, it is not possible to redeem LUCERNE FESTIVAL vouchers, to print duplicate tickets, or to return tickets for resale.
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Seating Maps Seating Map 1 Event 4. Gallery right 3. Gallery right 2. Gallery right 1. Gallery right
4. Balcony 3. Balcony
4. Gallery left 3. Gallery left 2. Gallery left 1. Gallery left
Summer Festival
20301
2. Balcony 1. Balcony
Price per Category in CHF
Front stalls
Stage Front stalls Gallery right
Organ Loft
Front stalls Gallery left
20303 20312* 20316* 20340 20341 20344 20347 20350
20313
20358 20360
I
350
320
290
220
II
300
270
240
190
III
240
220
190
150
IV
170
150
130
110
V
100
80
70
70
VI
50
40
40
30
Please note the alternative seating map for the organ loft for events marked by *. Note on the seating maps: The organizer reserves the right to alter particular sections or the seating plan.
*Events with alternative seating map
100
Seating Map 2 Event 4. Gallery right 3. Gallery right 2. Gallery right 1. Gallery right
4. Balcony 3. Balcony
4. Gallery left 3. Gallery left 2. Gallery left 1. Gallery left
Summer Festival
20336*
2. Balcony Price per Category in CHF
1. Balcony Front stalls
Stage Front stalls Gallery right
Organ Loft *Events with alternative seating map
Front stalls Gallery left
20320* 20321* 20351* 20353* 20354* 20356* 20357*
20326*
20307* 20308*
I
320
290
220
200
II
270
240
190
170 130
III
220
190
150
IV
150
130
110
90
V
80
70
70
60
VI
40
40
30
30
Please note the alternative seating map for the organ loft for events marked by *. Note on the seating maps: The organizer reserves the right to alter particular sections or the seating plan.
Seating Map 3 Event 4. Gallery right 3. Gallery right 2. Gallery right 1. Gallery right
4. Balcony 3. Balcony
4. Gallery left 3. Gallery left 2. Gallery left 1. Gallery left
2. Balcony
Summer Festival Price per Category in CHF
1. Balcony Front stalls
Organ Loft
20343*
290
220
20310 170
II
240
190
150 110
III
190
150
IV
130
110
90
V
70
70
60
VI
40
40
30
Please note the alternative seating map for the organ loft for events marked by *. Note on the seating maps: The organizer reserves the right to alter particular sections or the seating plan.
Stage Front stalls Gallery right
20337*
I
Front stalls Gallery left
*Events with alternative seating map
101
Seating Map 4 Event 4. Gallery right 3. Gallery right 2. Gallery right 1. Gallery right
4. Balcony 3. Balcony
4. Gallery left 3. Gallery left 2. Gallery left 1. Gallery left
2. Balcony 1. Balcony
Stage Front stalls Gallery right
Organ Loft *Events with alternative seating map
Front stalls Gallery left
I
170
120
Summer Festival
Price per Category in CHF
Front stalls
20330*
20309* 20318* 20324* 20328* 20703* 20811*
II
150
100
III
110
80
IV
90
70
V
60
50
VI
30
30
Please note the alternative seating map for the organ loft for events marked by *. Note on the seating maps: The organizer reserves the right to alter particular sections or the seating plan.
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Venues KKL | KKL Luzern, Europaplatz 1, Luzern HL | Hochschule Luzern – Musik, Arsenalstr. 28, Kriens (Bus no. 14 from the main train station) I | Inseli, Inseliquai, Luzern JK | Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church), Bahnhofstrasse 11a, Luzern KM | Kunstmuseum, Europaplatz 1, Luzern
LK | Lukaskirche (Church of St. Luke), Morgartenstrasse 16, Luzern LT | Lucerne Theater, Theaterstrasse 2, Luzern M | Maskenliebhabersaal, Süesswinkel 7, Luzern MK | Matthäuskirche (Church of St. Matthew), Hertensteinstrasse 30, Luzern SK | stattkino Luzern, Löwenplatz 11, Luzern
Getting There ARRIVAL VIA TRAIN: YOUR CONCERT TICKET IS ALSO VALID AS A TRAVEL TICKET! Arrival and Departure by Train: 40% Rebate in the Swiss Rail Network As a concertgoer you can receive a discount of 40% for 1st or 2nd class for a round trip to Lucerne. (Concert tickets must be presented upon inspection.) With the half-fare travel card you can receive a discount of up to 70% off the full price. This special ticket must be purchased before beginning your trip: either at a Swiss Rail ticket counter, from a ticket machine, by calling the SBB Contact Center at 0848 44 66 88 (CHF 0.08/minute in the Swiss telephone network), or online at the SBB ticket shop (sbb.ch/lucernefestival).
ARRIVAL VIA CAR The KKL Luzern is located right next to Lucerne’s main train station. Owing to the parking and traffic situation, we recommend using public transportation during the Festival season. Guests who travel by car are advised to observe the city’s parking guidance system and to take the bus from the parking garages to the KKL Luzern. The parking garages are indicated on the adjacent map; you can find additional information at parking-luzern.ch. Park & Ride Several train stations outside the City of Lucerne offer Park & Ride for rail travel to Lucerne. The following stations are especially convenient and provide ample parking: Sursee, Rotkreuz, Zug, Wolhusen, Arth-Goldau, and Sarnen. Would you like to learn more about Lucerne and its surrounding area? Are you in need of accommodation? Tourist Information Tourist Information Luzern Zentralstrasse 5 | CH–6002 Luzern t +41 (0)41 227 17 17 Accommodation Lucerne’s Tourist Office can help you find accommodation. Central reservations no.: t +41 41 227 17 27 | luzern@luzern.com
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First-class tones. sbb.ch/lucernefestival PUBLIC TRANSPORT TICKET WITH
40% Picture: KKL Lucerne
DISCOUNT
FESTIVAL-CITY LuCERNE The Festival City Lucerne delights throughout the year: classical music, blues, rock, comics and enthralling sport events. Fumetto Comic Festival Lucerne 28 March – 5 April 2020 www.fumetto.ch
Athletics Meeting Lucerne 1 July 2020 www.spitzenleichtathletik.ch
SwissCityMarathon – Lucerne 25 October 2020 www.swisscitymarathon.ch
LUCERNE FESTIVAL | Teodor 1 – 4 April 2020 www.lucernefestival.ch
Blue Balls Festival 17 – 25 July 2020 www.blueballs.ch
Lucerne Blues Festival 7 – 15 November 2020 www.bluesfestival.ch
Zaubersee Festival 13 – 17 May 2020 www.zaubersee.ch
LUCERNE FESTIVAL | Summer 14 August – 13 September 2020 www.lucernefestival.ch
LUCERNE FESTIVAL | Autumn 20 – 22 November 2020 www.lucernefestival.ch
LUCERNE REGATTA 22 – 24 May 2020 www.lucerneregatta.com
World Band Festival Lucerne 19 – 27 September 2020 www.worldbandfestival.ch
Lilu Light Festival Lucerne 7 – 17 January 2021 www.lichtfestivalluzern.ch
Luzern LuzernTourismus Tourismus–-Tourist Tourist Information | Zentralstrasse 5 | CH-6002 Luzern Tel. Tel. +41 +41 (0)41 (0)41 227 227 17 17 17 | luzern@luzern.com | www.luzern.com
HANTANG CULTURE
CHINESE MEDIA PARTNER
Hantang Culture is a leading media group in China. It has taken the lead in using video programs to promote East-West cultural exchanges and the art of fine living. Hantang Culture attracts an audience of more than 1,300,000,000 people.
OF LUCERNE SUMMER FESTIVAL 2020
Hantang International Music Festival Aiming to promote classical music and theater culture, Hantang Culture initiated the Hantang International Music Festival in 2013. To date, the festival has staged over 90 classical music performances attracting over 100,000 concertgoers.
A World of Excellence Documentaries on Cultural Heritage and the Art of Fine Living
The Ultimate Luxury
Report Program on Global Events
Fashion Insiders
Short Films on Fashion Figures
Hedonist
Lifestyle Digital Media, with 1.8 million+ followers
Hantang Culture
www.acmedynasty.com
04.07. 11.10.
2020
«I LIKE A BIGGER GARDEN» CHARLOTTE HERZIG, BEN SLEDSENS, JOSEPHINE TROLLER
Ben Sledsens, Jaguar in the Jungle, 2018, Öl, Acryl und Sprayfarbe auf Leinwand, 210 × 180 cm, Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerpen
Concert bar
Intermezzo Why not treat yourself on your next concert visit to our intermezzo package? A specially reserved area will be provided for you to enjoy drinks and culinary delights during the intermission. A glass of champagne or an alcohol-free drink A bowl with cheese and cold cuts or vegetarian delights Price per person CHF 26.– or 16.– without alcohol Information & booking kkl-luzern.ch/experiences
A Recipe for Music: The KKL Lucerne It’s one of the best-sounding locations in the world: the KKL Luzern’s concert hall, created by Jean Nouvel and renowned for its phenomenal acoustics and exquisite architecture alike. This is where the majority of LUCERNE FESTIVAL’s concerts take place. With a feeling for geometry, forward-looking thinkers in the 19th century had already come to realize what really matters: the sound is best when the concert hall is shaped like a shoebox. Jean Nouvel and the American acoustician Russell Johnson emphasized this even more: from the outset they understood that a modern concert hall needs to be acoustically variable, that Bach and Bruckner require different sonic environments. The acoustic canopy over the stage, a total of 50 heavy echo chamber structures weighing up to eight tons, plaster reliefs, and all of the materials that are used help to implement the highest level of acoustical quality. Along with double doors that swallow noise and a ventilation system that operates
well below the threshold of audibility, Russell Johnson established a foundation for what any good acoustical environment requires: the sort of absolute quiet in which sounds are allowed to resonate across their entire dynamic range – from the gentlest pianissimo to the mightiest fortissimo. This fastidious attention to quality extends to the culinary sphere: with their uniquely composed menus, the Restaurant RED (rated 15 points by Gault Millau), the World Café, and the Seebar round out the total experience of the KKL Luzern. KKL Luzern Europlatz 1 | CH–6005 Luzern t +41 (0)41 226 70 70 info@kkl-luzern.ch | kkl-luzern.ch
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ROSENGART COLLECTION LUCERNE The Rosengart Foundation Pilatusstrasse 10
CENTER OF CLASSICAL MODERNISM Unique works by
PICASSO and KLEE The Rosengart Collection, world-class modern art, is comprised of unique groups of works by Picasso and Klee as well as 20 other world-famous masters of the 19 th and 20 th centuries and an impressive show of photos by David Douglas Duncan on Picasso’s life.
Open daily (incl. holidays) Opening hours: April – October: daily 10 am - 6 pm November – March: daily 11 am - 5 pm
info@rosengart.ch www.rosengart.ch Tel. +41 (0)41 220 16 60 Fax +41 (0)41 220 16 63 Paul Klee: Mountain Village (autumnal) 1934
Offers: Public guided tours in German, Sundays 11.30 am Private tours for groups (also available in English) Photos: David Douglas Duncan
THE PERFEC T MACHINE PARK We are one of a few printing companies in Switzerland with a perfect machine park for every job. Whether large or small print runs, we have the right machine for every product. www.engelbergerdruck.ch
FANCY A SHORT CULINARY BREAK? We take your senses on a delightful journey in our Restaurant Olivo.
DINNER & CASINO: CHF 88 INSTEAD OF CHF 122 Reserve now: 041 418 56 61 Aperitif & 3-course menu in the Restaurant Olivo incl.admission to the gaming area* and chips worth CHF 25. * From 18, with a valid passport, European ID, driving license, daily from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m.
www.grandcasinoluzern.ch
Join Now!
Generalunternehmung Architektur . Planung . Realisierung schmid.lu
BORIS GODUNOW
Oper von Modest Mussorgski Inszenierung Barrie Kosky
PREMIERE 2O SEP 2O2O
ART BASEL 18 ïš» 21 JUNE 2020
Magic Moments at Unique PlaceS PARTNERS OF SWISS TOP EVENTS:
Hotels
Hotels rated by hotelleriesuisse (H) / GastroSuisse (G) Ä(Superior)
Renaissance Lucerne Hotel G The Hotel Lucerne, Autograph Collection G Bürgenstock Hotels, Bürgenstock H Park Hotel, Vitznau H The Chedi Andermatt, Andermatt H Villa Honegg, Bürgenstock H
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Ameron Hotel Flora H 041 227 66 66 flora@flora-hotel.com Cascada Boutique Hotel H 041 226 80 88 info@cascada.ch Château Gütsch H 041 289 14 14 info@chateau-guetsch.ch Continental-Park H 041 228 90 50 hotel@continental.ch Des Balances H 041 418 28 28 info@balances.ch Grand Hotel Europe H 041 370 00 11 info@europe-luzern.ch Hofgarten H 041 410 88 88 hotel@hofgarten.ch Monopol H 041 226 43 43 mail@monopolluzern.ch Rebstock H 041 417 18 19 hotel@rebstock-luzern.ch Wilden Mann H 041 210 16 66 mail@wilden-mann.ch Birdland Hotel, Sempach Station H 041 369 81 81 office@birdland-hotel.ch Hotel Sempachersee, Nottwil H 041 939 23 23 info@hotelsempachersee.ch Palace Hotel, Bürgenstock H 041 612 60 00 information@buergenstock.ch Parkhotel, Zug H/G 041 727 48 48 info@parkhotel.ch Schloss-Hotel, Merlischachen H 041 854 54 54 info@swiss-chalet.ch Seehotel Sternen, Horw H 041 348 24 82 info@seehotel-sternen.ch Winkelried, Stansstad H 041 618 23 23 hotel@winkelried.ch
Ã(Superior) Waldstätterhof H 041 227 12 71 info@hotel-waldstaetterhof.ch Hotel Pilatus-Kulm H 041 329 12 12 hotels@pilatus.ch Jugendstilhotel Paxmontana G 041 666 24 00 info@paxmontana.ch Seerausch Hotel, Beckenried H/G 041 501 01 31 info@seerausch.ch Swisshotel Zug, Zug H/G 041 747 28 28 email@swisshotel-zug.ch Zugertor, Zug H 041 729 38 38 info@zugertor.ch Ô Altstadt Hotel Krone Ambassador Anker Aparthotel Adler Bellevue
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info@krone-luzern.ch hotel@ambassador.ch anker@remimag.ch info@hoteladlerluzern.ch info@bellevue-luzern.ch
H H H H H H H G H
041 418 82 20 contact@altstadthotelluzern.ch 041 210 50 60 info@hotel-central-luzern.com 041 418 80 00 info@de-la-paix.ch 041 417 20 60 info@desalpes-luzern.ch 041 248 04 80 hotel@drei-koenige.ch 041 418 48 48 H8549@accor.com 041 375 55 55 mail@hotelseeburg.ch 041 250 52 00 info@thorenberg.ch 041 789 78 78 info@hotel-arcade.ch
H
041 545 69 00 info@hiex-luzern.ch
H H H
041 288 28 28 info@expressluzern.com 041 289 40 50 office@hotel-lux.ch 041 612 60 00 information@buergenstock.ch
H H
041 227 50 60 info@sternluzern.ch 041 349 49 49 h2982@accor.com
(Superior) Stern Luzern ibis Luzern Kriens Ó Chärnsmatt, Rothenburg H Schlössli, Meggen G
041 280 34 34 info@chaernsmatt.ch 041 377 14 72 info@schloesslimeggen.ch
k Ibis Budget Luzern City
Õ
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Boutique Hotel Weisses Kreuz Central Luzern De la Paix Des Alpes Drei Könige ibis Styles Luzern City Seeburg Thorenberg Arcade, Sins Holiday Inn Express, Luzern-Kriens Holiday Inn Express Luzern-Neuenkirch Lux, Emmenbrücke Taverne 1879, Bürgenstock
H
041 367 80 00 H6782@accor.com
Swiss Lodge
Balm, Meggen H 041 377 11 35 BnB Haus im Löchli H 041 250 90 73 Hammer, Eigenthal H 041 497 52 05 Jugendherberge Luzern H 041 420 88 00 Pickwick H 041 410 59 27 Sonnenberg, Kriens H 041 320 66 44 The Bed + Breakfast H 041 310 15 14 Villa Maria H 041 370 21 19 Gasthaus Kreuz, Meggen H 041 377 11 14 Swiss-Chalet B&B, H 041 854 54 54 Merlischachen
info@balm.ch bnb_loechli@bluewin.ch info@hotel-hammer.ch luzern@youthhostel.ch welcome@hotelpickwick.ch info@hotelsonnenberg.ch info@theBandB.ch villamaria@bluewin.ch info@kreuz-meggen.ch info@swiss-chalet.ch
Hotels not rated by hotelleriesuisse / GastroSuisse Alpha Alpina Luzern Altstadt Hotel Le Stelle Altstadt Hotel Magic Anstatthotel Business Apartments Appartements Hofquartier Beau Séjour Luzern AG B & B Bettstatt Neustadt Guest House Daniela HITrental AG Linde Lion Lodge Luzern Lucerne Business Apartments Braui Luzernerhof Richemont RomeroHaus Royal Tourist Hotel Bellevue, Pilatus-Kulm Schwendelberg
041 240 42 80 041 210 00 77 041 412 22 20 041 417 12 20
info@hotelalpha.ch info@alpina-luzern.ch info@lestelle.ch mail@magic-hotel.ch
041 755 00 03 041 410 43 47 041 410 16 81 041 210 43 09 041 240 51 41 041 311 29 29 041 410 31 93 041 410 01 44
mail@anstatthotel.ch info@appartements-luzern.ch info@beausejourlucerne.ch info@bettstatt.ch info@guesthouse-daniela.ch info@hitrental.com info@lionlodge.ch
079 663 89 20 041 418 47 47 041 375 85 80 041 249 39 29 041 419 46 46 041 410 24 74 041 329 12 12 041 340 35 40
mail@lucernebusinessapartments.ch info@luzernerhof.ch gastronomie@richemont.cc romerohaus@igarbeit.ch info@hotel-royal-luzern.ch info@thetouristhotel.ch hotels@pilatus.ch info@schwendelberg.com
Tourist Information Luzern Zentralstrasse 5, located in the main Lucerne train station, CH–6002 Luzern | t +41 (0)41 227 17 27
F R O M B Ü R G E N S TO C K R E S O RT D I R EC T LY TO T H E CO N C E RT H A L L As a hotel guest you enjoy free travel with the Bürgenstock Funicular and the Shuttle Boat to Europaplatz in front of the KKL.
Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort – 6363 Obbürgen – Switzerland T +41 (0)41 612 60 00 – info@buergenstock.ch – buergenstock.ch
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC Our festival package: We serve you a preconcert aperitif on our lake side terrace, The hotel‘s launch then speeds you across the bay to the KKL concert hall and brings you back afterwards to enjoy a composition conjured up by our chef. Per person from CHF 110.00 incl. 3 to 5 course menu, boat transfer and parking Reservation: T +41 41 419 09 09
Classic and Class
Telefon +41 (0)41 410 0 410
www.schweizerhof-luzern.ch
With an atmospheric overnight stay in the first building in the park, close to the KKL part of top festival enjoyment. BTW … and orders for aperitifs or tasty Ticino-style dishes in the Bellini Locanda Ticinese taken up until 11 p.m. Hotel Continental Park Murbacherstrasse 4 | CH-6002 Lucerne | T +41 41 228 90 50 | hotel@continental.ch | continental.ch
A gourmet restaurant with atmosphere. Have a feast, savour your choice, and enjoy yourself.
Indulge.
Hotel Wilden Mann Luzern Bahnhofstrasse 30 · 6003 Luzern · T +41 41 210 16 66 www.wilden-mann.ch
COOL DRINKS
Lucerne’s latest hot spot for cocktail lovers SMALL FOOD PLATTERS from 18.00 to 22.00 h Pilatusstrasse 15, CH-6002 Lucerne, Tel. +41 41 226 87 87, www.renaissance-luzern.ch
www.bocagrande-luzern.ch
SOPHISTICATED LOUNGING
BEFORE OR AFTER THE CONCERT
Design Jean Nouvel
Sempacherstrasse 14, CH-6002 Lucerne, Tel. +41 41 226 86 86, www.the-hotel.ch
EXTENDED OPENING HOURS during the Lucerne Summer Festival
Signature cocktails created especially for the Lucerne Festival at the hotel bar of THE HOTEL www.thelounge-luzern.ch
DESIGN HERZOG & DE MEURON
NEW ROOMS
In the heart of Lucerne a few steps from the Culture and Convention Centre (KKL)
Pilatusstrasse 29, CH-6002 Lucerne, Tel. +41 41 226 88 88, www.astoria-luzern.ch
www.astoria-luzern.ch
Organization Foundation LUCERNE FESTIVAL Honorary Board Simonetta Sommaruga, President of the Swiss Confederation | Paul Winiker, President of the Government of the Canton of Lucerne | Beat Züsli, Mayor of the City of Lucerne | Dr. Othmar Frei, Provost Board of Trustees Markus Hongler, Chairman✣ | Otto Wyss, Treasurer | Christian Casal | Dr. Rolf Dörig✣ | Peter Eckert✣ | Dr. Christoph Franz | Alexandre Jetzer | Dr. Ursula Jones-Strebi | Walter B. Kielholz✣ | Prof. Dr. Alois Koch | Dr. Hariolf Kottmann | Michel M. Liès | Urs Rohner | Prof. Klaus Schwab | Marcel Schwerzmann | Isabelle Welton✣ | Beat Züsli ✣ committee member
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Team LUCERNE FESTIVAL and Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL Leadership Michael Haefliger*, Executive and Artistic Director | Alexandra Lankes PR & Social Media Nina Steinhart, Director | Jacqueline Saner | Katharina Schillen Sponsorship & Friends Marianna Rossi, Director | Sarah Amstad | Cynthia Coletto | Luca Gnos | Isabelle Köhler | Katharina Stadlin Artistic Office
Honorary Chairman Jürg R. Reinshagen
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA & YOUNG Christiane Weber*, Director Katharina Christen | Silvia Rösselet | Monika Widler
Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY & ALUMNI Mark Sattler, Christiane Weber, Interim Directors | Lea Arnet
Board of Trustees Markus Hongler, Chairman | Otto Wyss, Treasurer | Elisabeth Oltramare
Modern Music & Dramaturgy Mark Sattler, Director and Dramaturge
International Advisory Committee Albert Behler (Switzerland/USA) | Mag. Klaus Buchleitner (Austria) | Alan W. Fang (China) | Peter Greither (Germany) | David Kershaw (Great Britain) | Dr. Christoph M. Müller (Switzerland) | Makoto Nakao (Japan) | Paloma O’Shea (Spain) | Lutz Peters (Germany) | Sara Sela (Israel) | Kazuko Shiomi (Japan) | Alan B. Vickery (USA)
Administration & Services
American Friends Alan B. Vickery, Chairman | Richard Matlaga, Treasurer & Secretary | Stanley M. Bergman | Yefim Bronfman | Michael Haefliger
Editorial & Dramaturgy Susanne Stähr, Director and Dramaturge | Denise Fankhauser | Malte Lohmann
Danièle Gross*, Commercial Director Finance & Human Resources Marcel Kaufmann | Stephanie Murray-Robertson IT Kilian Bürli, Director | Gisela Sigrist Salzmann Marketing, Brand & Publications Bettina Jaggi, Director | Jason Planzer | Patricia Thérisod Ticketing & Visitor Services Simone Primavesi, Director | Claudia Cavallari Hemmeter | Birgit Hackbarth | Hana Javorska | Brigitte Keller | Regina Meyer | Deborah Staub * Member of the Board
Supporting Organizations Official Rail Carrier
Official Airline
LUCERNE FESTIVAL is a member of
AMAG Audi Center Luzern, Car Partner Confiserie Sprüngli, Chocolate Partner Egon Zehnder KKL Luzern, Event Partner Luzern Tourismus MetaDesign, Partner in Communication Radio SRF Kultur, Media Partner Ringier AG, Media Partner
Image Credits p. 1, 32, 68, and 83: Marco Borggreve – p. 3, 23, 40, 42, and 53: Peter Fischli/LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 4, 25, 30, 31, 34, 36, 63, 78, 86, and 109: Priska Ketterer/LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 5 and 55: Frans Jansen – p. 6, 62 center and 87: Astrid Ackermann – p. 7, 21, 24, 26, 28, and 92/93: Patrick Hürlimann/LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 18: Evgeny Razumny – p. 19: Kairong Zhu – p. 20: Brass for Africa – p. 27: Marc Doradzillo – p. 29: Antje Berghäuser – p. 33 and 44: Felix Broede – p. 35: Kaupo Kikkas – p. 37: Kasia Wandycz/Paris Match – p. 38: Stefano Schröter – p. 39: Astrid Karger – p. 41: Eric Richmond – p. 43: Dimitri Djuric – p. 45: Andreas Hechenberger – p. 46: motionARToughts – p. 47: Simon Fowler – p. 48: Jean-François Leclercq – p. 49: Michael Papendieck– p. 50: Satoshi Aoyagi – p. 51: Julia Wesely – p. 52: Jérémie Mazenq – p. 54: AT Schaefer – p. 56: August-Macke-Haus, Bonn – p. 57: Harald Hoffmann – p. 58: Christian Schmutz – p. 59: Olaf Malzahne – p. 60: Jason Planzer, illustration – p. 61 and 62 left: Martin Wieldraaijer/ Stephan Maria Glöckner – p. 62 right and 64: Michiel Hendryckx – p. 65: Masha Mosconi – p. 66: Monika Rittershaus – p. 67: Dario Acosta – p. 69: 3B-Produktion – p. 70: Gregory Batardon – p. 71: The Japan Art Association/The Sankei Shimbun – p. 72: Martina Draper/LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 73: Hans Hebbink – p. 74: Janet Sinica – p. 75: Eleonora Savini – p. 76: baselsinfonietta.ch – p. 77: Smallz + Raskind – p. 79: Les Brewster – p. 80: Warner Classics – p. 81: Georg Anderhub/LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 82: vianostringquartet.com – p. 84: Rouven Steinke – p. 85: Christoph Greussing – p. 88: Sim Canetty-Clarke – p. 90: Uwe Arens – p. 91 top: Manuela Jans/LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 91 center: Lukas Fierz
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Addresses | Publishing Credits LUCERNE FESTIVAL Hirschmattstrasse 13 | P.O. Box | CH–6002 Luzern t +41 (0)41 226 44 00 | f +41 (0)41 226 44 60 info@lucernefestival.ch | lucernefestival.ch Ticketing & Visitor Information LUCERNE FESTIVAL | P.O. Box | CH–6002 Luzern t +41 (0)41 226 44 80 | f +41 (0)41 226 44 85 ticketbox@lucernefestival.ch | lucernefestival.ch Publisher | LUCERNE FESTIVAL Foundation | lucernefestival.ch Executive and Artistic Director | Michael Haefliger Editing and Content | Susanne Stähr, Malte Lohmann English Language Editor and Translator | Thomas May Layout and Execution | Denise Fankhauser Advertising | Patricia Thérisod Printing | Engelberger Druck AG, Stans This program was published in February 2020 and is subject to alteration without prior notice. Printed prices are subject to correction. 120
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LUCERNE FESTIVAL WITH REINHOLD FRIEDRICH VISITING MALLORCA
In partnership with the Lucerne Festival we are pleased to welcome the acclaimed trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich to Mallorca. On this special occasion he will be accompanied by the pianist Eriko Takezawa-Friedrich. The romantic gardens and historic walls of the luxury hideaway Castell Son Claret are the magical backdrop for an unique summer concert „al fresco“ served with an elegant gala dinner from the hands of our culinary teams. EXPERIENCE MAGIC MUSICAL MOMENTS Reinhold Friedrich Friday 17th of July 2020 We would be pleased to arrange your stay with hotel accomodation, airport transfer or rental car and concert tickets. Information & Reservation: +34 971 138 620 | events@castellsonclaret.com | www.castellsonclaret.com Carretera Es Capdellà-Galilea Km 1,7, 07196 Es Capdellà, Mallorca, Spain #CastellClassics