LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 Annual by LUCERNE FESTIVAL

2018 A N N UAL CONVERGENCE

Riccardo Chailly and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

COSMOS STOCKHAUSEN A Tribute by the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY

SOL MEANS SUN

“Artiste étoile” Sol Gabetta

WHEN EVERYTHING IS NEW Summer Focus on “Childhood”

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

2018 SUMMER FESTIVAL

ALL LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA CONCERTS Enjoy all three programs with a subscription 17/19 August

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly | Lang Lang Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks | Mozart Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491 | Stravinsky The Firebird

24 August

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Bavarian Radio Choir | Riccardo Chailly Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune | Trois Nocturnes | Ravel Daphnis et Chloé

25 August

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly Wagner Overture to Rienzi | Overture to The Flying Dutchman | Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E major WAB 107

You can find detailed information about our subscription series starting on p. 16 of the enclosed concert calendar.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Tickets at: t +41 (0)41 226 44 80 | lucernefestival.ch

Editorial

Dear Music Lovers,

I Michael Haefliger Executive and Artistic Director

n 2018, LUCERNE FESTIVAL has a threefold reason to celebrate. It was 80 years ago that our Festival first came into being. Known at the time by the name “Internationale Musikfestwochen Luzern,” it all began with a “concert de gala” conducted by Arturo Toscanini in front of the Wagner villa in Tribschen. The first Easter Festival took place here 30 years ago, and the Piano Festival had its premiere 20 years ago in the newly opened KKL Luzern. Naturally, we have come up with various ways to pay tribute to these three anniversaries. We have prepared this edition of our annual magazine to let you know what awaits you at the 2018 LUCERNE FESTIVAL. You can learn more about the latest from the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY in the following pages. You will also find portraits and interviews to give you a closer look at our “artistes étoiles” Sol Gabetta and Dan Tanson; composer-in-residence Fritz Hauser; Sir Simon Rattle, who travels to Lucerne for the first time with the London Symphony Orchestra; and the Berlin Philharmonic, which has been a regular Festival guest for 60 years. We invite you on a journey into the magical realm of “Childhood,” the theme of the coming Summer Festival. And we investigate the “cosmos” of Karlheinz Stockhausen, who is our modern-music focus for 2018. Of course we have also prepared many concert tips and attractive subscription series for you. You can find complete details about the events in the enclosed concert calendar. So there are many good reasons to visit the Festival City of Lucerne. We look forward to seeing you! Yours,

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

How does commitment elevate young talent? Even major talents start small. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why Credit Suisse highlights young classical musicians and their talent with the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award and Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes. Credit Suisse has been a main sponsor of the Lucerne Festival since 1993.

credit-suisse.com/sponsorship

What Belongs Together Grows Together: Riccardo

Chailly and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA head into their third season.

Contents LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

6 “Now We Really Have Converged” Wolfram Christ on the Collaboration with Riccardo Chailly 12 Precision and Poetry The Conductor Riccardo Chailly LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY

14 Looking at the Stars The LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY Explores the Cosmos of Stockhausen

“Cosmos Stockhausen”:

20 Atop Music’s Mount Olympus The Cellist Sol Gabetta and Her Plans for 2018

The LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY celebrates the 90th anniversary of the sonic visionary’s birth.

26 Transcendence Without a Written Score The Percussionist and Composer Fritz Hauser 28 A Modern Musician Sir Simon Rattle – A Portrait SUMMER FOCUS: “CHILDHOOD”

34 When It All Happens for the First Time

36 The Child as Miracle Prodigies, from Wolfgang Amadé Mozart to Alma Deutscher

The Sun Rises:

43 Being Young Isn’t a Matter of Age A Conversation with “Artiste étoile” Dan Tanson

“Artiste étoile” Sol Gabetta

48 Prize Raffle: Who Could That Be? 50 Scenes of Childhood Concert Tips for the Summer of 2018 56 A Feast for Music 60 Years of the Berlin Philharmonic at LUCERNE FESTIVAL

“Childhood”

is the theme of the 2018 Summer Festival.

Exploring the World of Percussion: Composer-in-resi-

dence Fritz Hauser crosses borders.

60 Crowd Pleasers and Moments of Spiritual Bliss: The 2018 Easter Festival 62 Anything but Routine: The 2018 Piano Festival 64 “A Magical Impression” Tips on Lucerne from Festival Director Michael Haefliger and His Wife Andrea Loetscher 66 Subscription Series for the 2018 Summer Festival 67 How To Get Your Tickets 69 How To Find Us 70 Partners 72 Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL 74 Addresses/Publishing Credits

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly

“Now We Really Have Converged” Riccardo Chailly’s Third Year with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

8 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly

Since its beginnings in 2003, Wolfram Christ has served as principal violist of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA. We spoke with him about the orchestra’s development and its collaboration with Music Director Riccardo Chailly. INTERVIEW: SUSANNE STÄHR Mr. Christ, in 2018 the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA will embark on its third season with Riccardo Chailly as Music Director. To what extent has the orchestra changed under this new leadership? In 2017, when we were able to perform three different programs with Riccardo Chailly for the first time, the orchestra changed to the extent that it learned to rehearse and manage to perform the most challenging works very quickly. All of us were under a high degree of stress during this period, and that had a positive effect. The Strauss program that we played for the Opening Concert was especially difficult and challenged us; it was quite an athletic project. We wanted to make it as good as possible.

What makes Chailly completely different from Abbado – and where does he resemble him? Claudio Abbado’s interpretations at the end of his career had a transcendence unrivaled by any other conductor. What Abbado and Chailly share is the basic preparation for their work over a period of months, their intense study of scores – both of them penetrate to the essence of the works and command them completely. Of course, in his second season Chailly is not yet able to have the same degree of familiarity with the orchestra that Abbado reached after twelve years. One should also not forget that the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA was entirely Claudio’s orchestra. A successor must first manage to achieve the fantastic collaboration that Chailly has succeeded in doing. Our playing together will surely continue to grow and become tighter; we are just at the beginning. But even now we have already sensed that this will become a very good community. Abbado’s idea was to found an orchestra of friends. To what extent does this idea still exist? That good, humane atmosphere has not changed, but only a few new musicians have been added. Incidentally, there were similar fluctuations during the Abbado era as well, when someone or another could not or did

“He’s familiar with every note of each score and knows exactly how he wants to have them played.” Riccardo Chailly in rehearsal (with Wolfram Christ)

What are Riccardo Chailly’s special qualities? He is meticulously prepared. He is familiar with every note of each score and knows exactly how he wants to have them played. He is also outstanding in how he divides up rehearsal time. My impression is that in the summer of 2017, a light went off especially with the second program and in particular with Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony. Chailly really let go there, and the orchestra performed this work with him at the highest level of emotion. It was terrific. This performance was certainly a key moment of our collaboration. I thought at the time: now we really have converged. It’s no simple task to be the successor to Claudio Abbado … Indeed, but that’s always the case with great conductors and major orchestras. Even Abbado had to go through that when he became Karajan’s successor at the Berlin Philharmonic. And now Chailly is succeeding Abbado. Of course you should not forget what Abbado achieved and accomplished – the orchestra will keep this legacy alive through the manner in which it makes music. And yet you have to reach closure at some point and be open to something new, to another direction. But you cannot make copies of conductors, for each one is different. LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly

not want to continue. In that case, someone new would replace them. Still, the permanent ensemble has survived, and we feel as close to one another as ever. That also means that we continue to think together about what we can do to improve, in rehearsing and in planning our programs. And what about the ideal of playing together with a chamber music-like intimacy, which is another credo of the orchestra? The nice thing is that every musician arrives already very well prepared. This is something hardly to be found with other orchestras. Sure, there is lots of routine, the works that are programmed have already been played often, but with us they are new for many. Accordingly, we’re already intensively preoccupied with this before the working period begins: so we already know the points where something will come up, to whom we have to listen and pay attention, with whom we have to interact. This chamber music way of thinking and listening is deeply rooted in our orchestra. It is a basic prerequisite to be able to make music at this level of quality. Everyone knows their part, we all listen to one another and orient ourselves not only by who is at the front, on the podium – though we can rely on Riccardo Chailly completely. Next summer you will again prepare three different programs: Mozart and Stravinsky in the first, works by Debussy and Ravel in the second, and, as the third, a Wagner-Bruckner program. What are you especially looking forward to? Ah, hard to say, because I like all of them. I’m really looking forward to the chance to play Mozart again, and the wonderful C minor Piano Concerto at that! But the French program is also splendid – when do you ever get to hear Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé in the complete version with chorus? In the third program, I was somewhat surprised about the Rienzi Overture, which I had not expected. The last time I played it was in the National Youth Orchestra, so maybe in 1969, but not since then. But it’s an interesting piece, no question. And Bruckner’s Seventh is of course an absolute highlight. What can the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA do better than other orchestras? This orchestra has an incredible potential in terms of dynamics, both louder and softer, but also with regard to timbre. I believe that even Riccardo Chailly himself was shocked at times in the concerts by what we could add during the evening to what had already been very good results in rehearsal. He has now gotten to know this potential at a very exact level and in future will subtly balance it out as far as the pianissimo regions are concerned. Such a fine adjustment requires experience and trust, and it is precisely this trust that is growing from rehearsal to rehearsal and from performance to performance. ■ 10 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

17 August | 18.30 Opening Concert KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly conductor | Lang Lang piano Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks | Mozart Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491 | Stravinsky The Firebird. Fairy-tale ballet in two scenes (original version from 1909-10) 19 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 3 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly conductor | Lang Lang piano Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks | Mozart Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491 | Stravinsky The Firebird. Fairy-tale ballet in two scenes (original version from 1909-10) 24 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 8 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly conductor Wagner Overture to Rienzi | Overture to The Flying Dutchman | Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E major WAB 107

Overture to Easter At the Easter Festival in March, Riccardo Chailly will perform with the Filarmonica della Scala in Lucerne. 21 March | 19.30 Symphony Concert 2 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Filarmonica della Scala | Riccardo Chailly conductor Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 Little Russian | Shostakovich Three pieces from the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Op. 29 | Stravinsky Petrushka

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 11

The Conductor Riccardo Chailly

Precision and Poetry

As Music Director of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, Riccardo Chailly can look back at the achievements of his artistic career to date and at the trusting relationship that crowns his 30-year connection to the Festival in Lucerne. TEXT: ANGELO FOLETTO

n the artistic life of Riccardo Chailly, who was born in 1953 in Milan, some encounters have left a special, long-lasting mark. Of great significance in particular was his relationship with Claudio Abbado. Chailly owes him not only his debut at La Scala in Milan (1978, with I masnadieri by Verdi), but numerous other experiences through which his image as a precise musician who concentrates on the scores has evolved – and as a conductor to whom insight is what matters and who at the same time sees his profession as a social function. For all this, Milan in the Abbado era was an ideal school. Naturally, the musical tradition of his family also played an important role for Chailly: he was only 14 when he stood for the first time in front of an orchestra. He had been led there by his father Luciano, a composer and a man of wide-ranging interests who steered La Scala’s fate as Artistic Director during one of its decisive phases. The young Riccardo studied music with Franco Ferrara in the politically and socially agitated 1970s,

12 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

continuing his education as a human being and artist alike. An enthusiastic, creative atmosphere dominated at that time, and a variety of intellectual currents became productively intertwined in the theater and in the city as a whole. APPRENTICESHIP IN A POLITICALLY AGITATED ERA In Milan, stakes were claimed for different artistic positions, and the condition of music and its role in modern society were topics of discussion. This likewise unquestionably shaped the young Chailly. The most important conductors and soloists appeared at La Scala, whose seasons offered performances that would remain memorable long after. It was especially the cycles with thematic focuses that garnered lots of attention. During Chailly’s years as a student, teachers at the Conservatorio also included Bruno Bettinelli, Giacomo Manzoni, and Franco Donatoni. Bruno Maderna led the RAI Orchestra and launched the series “Musica nel nostro tempo,” in which different institutions, under the leadership of

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | Riccardo Chailly

Maurizio Pollini and the Quartetto Italiano, collaborated to concentrate entirely on modern music. Even while he was still a student, Chailly acquired his first experiences in opera and symphonic music at the Conservatory and at the “Pomeriggi Musicali,” a concert series that served to “discover” new composers and performers. He quickly stood out there and was given conducting responsibilities by the Association of Theater in Lombardy and the “Associazione Lirica e Concertistica.” Then Abbado appointed him to be his assistant, when Chailly was only 20 years old. And the steep ascent continued. The conductor Bruno Bartoletti, the model of a dedicated opera leader, immediately brought Chailly to America. It was in Chicago that the young maestro first experimented with Puccini, testing out Gustav Mahler’s insights in the process. He ended up immersing himself increasingly in the world of the Austrian composer, whom he had discovered and explored for himself with Abbado during a working phase in Amsterdam. In particular, his understanding of Mahler as a transition figure between two centuries goes back to this time. According to Chailly, Mahler encapsulates with a creative power the progressive ways of writing music at the turn of the 20th century, juxtaposing them with the musical world of the 19th century – in this way he simultaneously succeeded in better understanding all of the composers who had set themselves the task of developing a modern style. Another result of this insight is Chailly’s preference in his Mahler performances, alongside solemn arcs of melody, to especially accentuate contrasts in voices and rhythmic character, to emphasize the secondary voices, and to highlight harmonic complications, contrapuntal structures, and musical irregularities as indications of daring and an experimental drive. With a single gesture, he knows how to kindle the audience’s enthusiasm and how to stimulate the orchestra into a concentrated state that allows it to rise above itself. Eloquent testimony of the maestro’s commitment with regard to modern music, a legacy of his early Milan years, can be found in the programming that he designed as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Or-

chestra. Yet his artistic energy is related in equal measure to the repertoire of the 18th to the 20th centuries. Whether the topic is a glance at the foundations, at Johann Sebastian Bach or one of the other inescapable “Bs” of music history, or the rarely heard works of the past, or world premieres: what always matters for Chailly is the vitality of the interpretation. Chailly plunges into the archives with unbridled passion, his research making inroads into the youthful as well as the unpublished works of composers. Naturally, he has never lost sight of Italian music theater in these endeavors, nor of the works of Richard Wagner. The significance of this practical research, which includes study of the original manuscripts, is manifested by numerous trailblazing recordings. Yet Chailly’s trust in the source text by no means surrenders his responsibility as an active performer. Quite the contrary: for him this involves investigating new open spaces in terms of technical precision as well as poetic interpretation.

Riccardo Chailly has the entirety of Western music history in view. Which is why he has also systematically learned the French and Russian repertoire as well – his concerts for the 2018 Summer Festival testify to both. He sees his vocation as more than the work he does on the podium. He wants to serve culture in a comprehensive way, researching and deeply probing the great works so he can then cogently “after-create” them in the concert. With this mixture of curiosity and intellectual nonconformism, he ultimately follows in the footsteps of the great Arturo Toscanini, who founded the prototype for today’s LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA at the Festival in Lucerne in 1938 with the “elite orchestra” that was put together specifically for him. Now it is up to Riccardo Chailly to further develop this “instrument,” this unique ensemble: to keep it alive and to let it become the artistic mouthpiece of our own era. ■

Anniversary: 30 years ago, Riccardo Chailly first came to Lucerne – with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 13

The LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY Explores the Cosmos of Stockhausen 14 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY

Karlheinz Stockhausen, a charismatic pioneer of the avant-garde, was born ninety years ago. At the suggestion of Wolfgang Rihm, LUCERNE FESTIVAL is dedicating a large-scale homage to him, titled “Cosmos Stockhausen,” to mark this anniversary, with the young musicians of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY in the leading role. TEXT: ANSELM CYBINSKI

Looking at the Stars

t was just a few single notes. An austere piece of music for two pianos whose first impression resembled little more than a random sequence of unconnected dots. The famous professor listened attentively. But now that he had to say something about what his students had presented, he seemed at a loss. Where, he wondered, was the motif to be found in this score, where were the antecedent and the consequent? In a very polite tone, the younger of the two pianists, who had just introduced it, spoke up. “Professor, you are looking for a chicken in an abstract painting,” said the 23-year-old man from the Rhineland. That really hit home. The reply wasn’t only incisive; it also manifested the enormous self-confidence of a highly talented person who already seemed to know that the future of his field would belong to a new generation – his generation along with what, by all accounts, were its subversive ideas. He, Karlheinz Stockhausen, had not written the piece under discussion; it was by his Belgian colleague Karel Goeyvaerts. Yet Stockhausen identified with his approach and was himself already thinking up similar though even more strictly conceived projects. This episode took place in the summer of 1951 at the Darmstadt Summer Courses. Among avant-garde circles, it soon became legendary. Originally, Arnold Schoenberg was supposed to teach these young composers, but the master of the twelve-tone method had had to cancel – he died on 13 July that same year in California, where he had been living in exile – and his place was taken by Theodor W. Adorno, the philosopher, sociologist, and perceptive musical thinker, a former student of Alban LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 15

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY

TOGETHER WITH PIERRE BOULEZ AND LUIGI NONO, STOCKHAUSEN WAS PART OF WHAT WAS THEN A TRIUMVIRATE OF THE POSTWAR MUSICAL REVOLUTION.

Pioneers of the “Zero Hour”: Karlheinz Stockhausen with the composers Luigi Nono and Pierre Boulez (top) and with the pianists Alfons and Aloys Kontarsky (rehearsing Mantra, center)

16 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Berg and a determined propagandist for the Second Viennese School. Problems of the twelve-tone method were the focus of the classes that summer. Following the years of Nazi rule, the young composers had a lot of catching up to do. But the New Path was soon forged. The procedures developed by Schoenberg and his pupils had barely hit home among composition circles before the most impatient of the younger composers declared them already to be outdated. The Viennese master was just a few months dead when Pierre Boulez criticized him in his lecture Schönberg est mort for being irresponsibly inconsistent in his treatment of technical innovations. Olivier Messiaen’s piano studies Mode de valeurs et d’intensités, with which Stockhausen became acquainted during that summer of 1951 at Darmstadt, showed a way into the future: not only should pitches be ordered in series, but all of the other parameters of music, such as dynamics, duration, and timbre. The pioneers of this “serial music” no longer intended to create their works from intuitively recognizable forms, from gestures, motives, and themes, but by using a unified system of quantitative relationships among individual notes. “YOU CAN ONLY START FROM SCRATCH” The historic “zero hour” following the Second World War ushered in the realization that humanity, now armed with atomic weapons, could destroy itself within a very short time. But even more than that, the experience of the Hitler regime and of the Holocaust cast the authority of traditional systems in doubt overall, whether political or aesthetic. The reference systems used in art, which resembled language, likewise seemed dubious – especially the idea of “expression” as a vehicle for meaningful statements by a self-determined subject. Few artists felt this so strongly as Stockhausen, who had lost both of his parents during the war. His mother, who suffered from depression, was a victim of the Nazis’ euthanasia program, while his father is believed to have been killed in action in Hungary. As an assistant at a military hospital, Stockhausen himself had witnessed severe physical suffering for months up close. “The cities have been erased, and one can begin from scratch

without having to bother about ruins and ‘tasteless’ remains,” the young composer posited. All conventional tonal systems to him seemed of no use for his music of the future, and he even thought that the instinctive idea of sound promoted by the pragmatist was now contaminated by everything that up till then had been heard. In hindsight, he later described the years around 1950 as the beginning of a new era in which “an orientation away from humanity took place. Once again one looked up to the stars and began an intensive counting and measuring.” Together with Boulez and Luigi Nono, Stockhausen was part of what was then a triumvirate of the postwar musical revolution. But he, a pious Catholic, was regarded as the most radical pioneer – driven not only by a pursuit of purity, precision, and control from his training in natural science but also by a religiously motivated desire for an “approximation to the conceivable perfection of order” in which the individual was to be realized in a higher totality, in a kind of cosmic, global structure. All layers of material and form were subject to a coherent series of proportions and their combinatorial alterations. An authoritarian trait was already deeply rooted in Stockhausen’s musical thinking; even the absolutization of artistic activity, as it was later expressed in the composer’s fatal statements about the attacks of 11 Septem-

ber 2001 on the Twin Towers, was already inherent at its core. Yet the creative furor of the quarter-century after 1951 was immense. He produced a series of spectacular works that can still enthrall even when they are difficult to understand in conventional senses but are only to be grasped in terms of the coherence with which they are executed. POINTS, GROUPS, AND SPATIALIZED SOUND Within a few years, Stockhausen had developed such concepts as “punctual music” and the “group form.” This development is easy to trace by considering the special playing techniques called for in the ex- STOCKHAUSEN BECAME tremely challenging cycle of piano A MODEL FOR ROCK AND pieces that Pierre-Laurent Aimard will perform as a complete cycle POP MUSICIANS AS WELL in Lucerne. Stockhausen com- AND EVEN GRACED THE posed the first purely electronic pieces in the Cologne Studio of COVER OF THE BEATLES West German Radio; there soon ALBUM SGT. PEPPER’S followed complexly organized montages consisting of electronic LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. and played or sung sounds. Stockhausen explored the spatial music movement in the electronic medium in his famous Gesang der Jünglinge (1955–56). He immediately went on to apply this idea to

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 17

1 September | 18.30 Symphony Concert 15 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Matthias Pintscher conductor | Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Tamara Stefanovich piano Kurtág Stele for large orchestra | Eötvös Reading Malevich for orchestra (“Roche Commissions” world premiere) | Bella Lethe for string orchestra | B. A. Zimmermann Dialogue. Concerto for two pianos and orchestra 2 September | 11.00/17.00 Cosmos Stockhausen 2 & 3 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall

Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Peter Eötvös, Lin Liao and David Fulmer conductors Stockhausen Inori. Adoration for two soloists and large orchestra 8 September | 16.00 Cosmos Stockhausen 4 Church Hall MaiHof

Soloists of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano | Dirk Rothbrust percussion Stockhausen Zyklus for one percussion player | Kontakte for electronic sounds, piano, and percussion | additional piece TBA

An orchestral piece with two dance mimes: Inori combines the sensuality of sound with spiritual profundity and rigorous construction (Karlheinz Stockhausen conducting a performance in 1989 in Cologne).

25 August | 11.00 Modern 2 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall

Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Matthias Pintscher conductor “Genesis.” Ensemble pieces by Czernowin, Nikodijevic, Bedrossian, Thorwaldsdottir, Magrané Figuera, Gervasoni, and Andre 1 September | 11.00 Cosmos Stockhausen 1 Church Hall MaiHof

Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Tamara Stefanovich piano Stockhausen Mantra for two pianists and ring-modulated pianos 1 September | 15.00 Modern 4 Maskenliebhabersaal

Ensemble of LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI | Conducting Fellowship participants | Wolfgang Rihm moderator works by participants in the Composer Seminar

18 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

8 September | 21.00 Modern 5 Neubad

we spoke: percussion | Solenn’ Lavanant-Linke, Leslie Leon, Rebecca Ockenden, Barbara Schingnitz vocal soloists (Hauser) | SoloVoices Hauser Klangkörper. Voices – Percussion – Space | Stockhausen Stimmung 9 September | 11.00 Cosmos Stockhausen 5 Church Hall MaiHof

Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Stockhausen Klavierstücke I−XI 9 September | starting at 18.30 Cosmos Stockhausen 6 & 7 | Symphony Concert 24 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall und Lucerne Hall

London Symphony Orchestra | Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Sir Simon Rattle, Matthias Pintscher and Duncan Ward conductors Stockhausen Gruppen for three orchestras | Nono No hay caminos, hay que caminar … Andrei Tarkovsky for seven orchestra groups | Messiaen Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum | Stockhausen Gruppen for three orchestras

“EVERYTHING HE CONCEIVED HE FELT AS A HUMAN.” Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Sound moved about space: Stockhausen’s Gruppen was first heard in Lucerne in 2007 played by the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY, when it was performed twice, back-to-back − as it will also be in the summer of 2018.

instrumental ensembles, with especially dramatic results in Gruppen (1957–59) for three orchestras arranged in a horseshoe around the audience (calling for a total of 109 musicians and three conductors). Three people are needed to conduct because the orchestras mostly play in different tempi. Although serial principles obtain, the musical events are vital and freely improvisatory; the impulses, lines, and timbres wander relentlessly from one side to the other, while subtle solo parts alternate with explosive outbursts of energy. Igor Stravinsky was deeply impressed by Gruppen, and even the meticulous Hungarian György Kurtág recognized this work as one of the trail-blazing achievements of music after 1950. Which is why you will have a chance in Lucerne to hear Gruppen twice in one evening. ICON OF THE HIPPY MOVEMENT In 1956, Stockhausen experimented with aleatorism, with controlled chance, in Klavierstück XI. In this work, 19 predefined groups of notes are to be played in any sequence, so that tempo, dynamics, and the form of attack for each new episode are always derived from the end of the preceding one. In his Zyklus für einen Schlagzeuger (1959), Stockhausen even delivered a score with a spiral binding: it is left to the performer, who is surrounded by his or her instruments, to choose the point where to enter and what range of equipment is to be used. Kontakte for electronic sounds, piano, and percussion, which came shortly after, took as its theme the encounter between synthesized and instrumental music in combination with the movement of the sound. The hero of electronic music meanwhile pressed forward ever further into the realm of an intuitive type of ensemble music determined only by verbal instructions.

A master advocate for Modernism: Pierre-Laurent Aimard performs Stockhausen’s Klavierstücke I−XI, which demand extremely difficult playing techniques.

In the 75-minute Stimmung, in which six vocalists sit in a circle on the floor and intone just a single chord taken directly from the overtone series, the affinity not only to American Minimalism but also to the hippy movement is palpable. The protean Stockhausen didn’t just inspire and unsettle generations of classical composers: he also became a model figure for such rock and pop musicians as Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and Björk and for the techno movement. In 1967 John Lennon reserved a place for him among the 58 figures on the cover of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The contradictory powers of Stockhausen’s creative work probably never found a more felicitous balance than in the “formula compositions” of the 1970s, which were inspired by the ritual practices of India and Japan, before the composer finally turned to his gigantic opera cycle Licht from 1977 on. In Mantra for two pianists (1970) and Inori (1973-74), an orchestral piece featuring two dance mimes, sensuality of sound is combined with spiritual depth and strict consistency in the meticulous construction. You need to hear, experience, and traverse it with your mind to realize that this music was, simply put, about everything: about a new ■ order of the world. LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 19

Sol Gabetta | “artiste étoile”

The Cellist Sol Gabetta and Her Plans for 2018

Atop Music’s Mount Olympus

In 2004 she won the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award in Lucerne – kicking off her rapidly ascending international career. This coming summer, the cellist Sol Gabetta will be featured on the Festival’s programming as “artiste étoile.” TEXT: SUSANNE STÄHR

t all started in Lucerne. Sol Gabetta was only 23 when she appeared at the 2004 Summer Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev to perform the Second Cello Concerto by Dmitri Shostakovich – playing with such fury that those attending the concert could not help being astounded. “Whenever I listen to the recording of this concert nowadays,” the cellist, says, “I myself wonder how I was able to play this piece so nonchalantly back then. Up to that point, I had only rehearsed it and had never yet performed the piece in public. And of course this performance was tremendously important for me: partnering for the first time with the Vienna Philharmonic, a dream, and on top of that at such a major Festival! So I was correspondingly nervous. But you have to remember that young people dare to take on challenges with a different spontaneity and sense of themselves.” For this native of Argentina, it was the beacon lighting her way to a career that quickly made her a favorite of the classical music scene. She signed an exclusive contract with a major record label, won prize after prize, traveled around the world as a soloist. In 2006 she founded her own festival, in Olsberg near Basel, where she has made her home for the past 12 years. That was soon followed by the establishment of her own Baroque orchestra, the Cappella Gabetta, with her brother Andrés as concertmaster. But at the same time, Sol Gabetta was also forced to learn the down side of fame: like the relentless marketing machine. A young, blonde, radiantly beautifully cello virtuosa – was she not the ideal subject for all kinds of photo shooting sessions? In keeping with that image, some of the press kept searching for gossip stories, show-

20 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

SOL GABETTA CAN EXPRESS EVERYTHING WITH THE SOUND OF THE CELLO, WHETHER JOY OR MELANCHOLY, WIT OR WRATH.

“I never said: I will be a soloist! Things simply happened.” Sol Gabetta rehearsing

ing much more interest in her private life than her art. And she had to deal with the constant comparisons to a famous predecessor, Jacqueline du Pré, who died young. It is to Sol Gabetta’s credit that she has followed her own way undeterred. She has refused to get caught up in senseless struggles and has not let herself become discouraged. Those who wanted to hear her only play the same three or four repertoire classics had to make do without her. And she has outright rejected superficial projects that promise to be a commercial success but that would not have satisfied her artistically. So the tremendous growth of her reputation in just the last few years has been all the more encouraging for Gabetta. It seems only fitting that in 2018 she is coming full circle with her return to LUCERNE FESTIVAL as “artiste étoile.” THREE GREAT CELLO CONCERTOS “2018 will be an especially important year for me,” she says. It starts in spring with the Salzburg Easter Festival, where she will play Schumann’s Cello Concerto with Christian Thielemann and his Staatskapelle Dresden and will also receive the Herbert von Karajan Music Prize. A little later, in April, Sol Gabetta can be heard for the first

22 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

time in the Musikverein with the Vienna Philharmonic – in their first performance together since the debut in 2004. And then comes her residency as “artiste étoile” in Lucerne at the Summer Festival. This is especially meaningful for her because Switzerland has long been her home. It is here that she feels comfortable and can relax and recharge her batteries with fresh energy, even when she is not on tour. Sol Gabetta will perform three great cello concertos in Lucerne – three works that could hardly be more different from each other: “All three have played a key role in my life,” she explains. “I played Haydn’s C major Concerto at my very first appearance with an orchestra. That was in 1991, with the Córdoba Symphony Orchestra. Since then I have played it with many different types of ensembles: with historically informed period instruments and modern ones, with small ensembles and with largescale ones. The fact that it is now on the program with the Vienna Philharmonic in which I will appear is an honor for me.” The First Cello Concerto by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů represents one of Gabetta’s favorites. “I discovered it ten years ago, when it was suggested for a

Her sense of humor, her radiance, but also her inner incandescence distinguish her when it comes to music: Sol Gabetta after a performance with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam in the summer of 2016. Absolutely no fear of making contact: Sol Gabetta with a Festival visitor in the summer of 2016

concert with the Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons. Neither of us knew the work, and we were all the more curious because back then no good recordings of it existed. But it was a real surprise. This concerto is simply magnificent both in its musical substance and as a work for cello. The orchestral writing is lush, the themes, which are based on Bohemian folk melodies, are extremely appealing, and I find its rhythmic structures in particular highly interesting. The writing for the cello calls for extreme virtuosity, but after Martinů revised it twice and published three versions, it now lies in a good place for our instrument. I have given myself the task of championing this piece with audiences – even if some presenters don’t spring at the chance immediately. Lucerne was, fortunately, very open to it.” The fact that Sol Gabetta has also selected Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto may seem less of a surprise. Ever since Jacqueline du Pré and Sir John Barbirolli “unearthed” this work in the early 1960s, it has remained popular with the public for its nostalgic, melancholy atmosphere. Gabetta has already recorded it twice, and each season she performs the work an average of 15 to 20 times; she also played it when she made her debut with

the Berlin Philharmonic in 2014 and when she opened the BBC Proms in 2016. “In no other work has my way of thinking developed more intensely,” she observes. And still another change is connected with the Elgar concerto: this is the work with which she tried out her new instrument, a 300-year-old Goffriller cello from Venice. A NEW COMPANION: THE GOFFRILLER CELLO It was discovered by her partner, the French violin restorer Balthazar Soulier, who accompanies Sol Gabetta on her appearances and adapts the instrument to the respective repertoire, climactic conditions, and acoustics of the hall. “For cellists, Goffriller is what Stradivari is for violinists. This instrument has a bigger bottom and more volume than Sol’s previous Guadagnini cello and is therefore especially well suited for concerts with a large orchestra. Many leading cellists, for example Pablo Casals, have preferred playing instruments by Matteo Goffriller,” explains Soulier. Gabetta adds: “The sound of the Goffriller cello is powerful but not aggressive; it is energetic and allows me to chisel out certain structures, like a sculptor chiseling her sculptures. This instrument contains a tiger!” As does indeed its new owner … LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 23

“THIS INSTRUMENT CONTAINS A TIGER!” Sol Gabetta on her Goffriller cello

spoken with various composers and requested new repertoire for this duo; there will also be new arrangements, for example of works by Robert Schumann, specifically tailored with the Festival’s theme of “Childhood” in mind. Perhaps Sol Gabetta is actually a researcher intent on concocting new ideas in the laboratory of music. And in so doing, she has all sorts of methods of playing at her beck and call. She can go full throttle with virtuosity or sing on her instrument; indeed, she can express everything with the sound of the cello, whether joy or melancholy, wit or wrath. But above all, she is tirelessly disciplined and allows herself to get away with no tricks. Audiences can sense this honesty. And that is also why Sol Gabetta has arrived at the top of music’s Mount Olympus. ■

18 August | 14.30 Chamber Music 2 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Matthias Goerne baritone | Sol Gabetta cello | Kristian Bezuidenhout piano The program will be announced at a later date.

“I really wanted an instrument that was bigger than my brother’s!” This child’s wish led to a great career.

28 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 11 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

She has certainly not put aside her Guadagnini, of which she has grown fond over the years – Sol Gabetta tends to play it now when she focuses on early music, for which occasions she uses gut strings. For this repertoire, she realizes, the Guadagnini’s warmer, more intimate sound is simply ideal. The fact that she alternates between playing on two different instruments is characteristic of her versatility and particularity. On the one hand, Sol Gabetta commands an exceptionally wide repertoire ranging from the Baroque to contemporary works, while on the other hand she approaches each distinct era with an obsessive sense of detail and the highest degree of authenticity. IN THE LABORATORY OF MUSIC Sol Gabetta loves to take on unusual projects, preferably with her like-minded colleagues, from Cecilia Bartoli to Patricia Kopatchinskaja. At Lucerne’s Summer Festival, she will join with Matthias Goerne to give a recital. Cello and baritone: “What kind of a combination is that?” you might ask. But for Gabetta, it is precisely the unorthodoxy of the pairing that makes it so interesting. “I am fascinated by Goerne’s voice – I expect the way it blends with my instrument will be exciting. His uncompromising way of approaching music has deeply influenced me.” She has

24 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Mahler Chamber Orchestra | François-Xavier Roth conductor | Sol Gabetta cello

Bartók Divertimento for String Orchestra Sz 133 | Martinů Cello Concerto No. 1 | Bizet Jeux d’enfants (version for orchestra) | Haydn Symphony in G minor, Hob. I:83 La Poule 7 September | 19.30 Symphony Concert 21 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Vienna Philharmonic | Franz Welser-Möst conductor | Sol Gabetta cello Haydn Cello Concerto in C major, Hob. VIIb:1 | Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, WAB 105 14 September | 19.30 Symphony Concert 27 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

London Philharmonic Orchestra | Marin Alsop conductor | Sol Gabetta cello Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 | Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major

2018 SUMMER FESTIVAL

COSMOS STOCKHAUSEN Karlheinz Stockhausen was born 90 years ago. LUCERNE FESTIVAL has planned a major homage to this sonic visionary. Stockhausen Gruppen | Inori | Klavierstücke I−XI | Kontakte | Mantra | Stimmungen | Zyklus with Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Peter Eötvös, Matthias Pintscher, Sir Simon Rattle, Tamara Stefanovich, Duncan Ward, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY, and many more

lucernefestival.ch/stockhausen

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 25

Transcendence Without a Written Score The percussionist and composer Fritz Hauser crosses borders. He explores the realms that exist between improvisation and composition, intuition and reason, noise and organized sound – using a practice from childhood: hatching. TEXT: MARK SATTLER But how difficult it is, to be old and young at once, an old sage and a child. Jules Michelet

26 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

t need not always be works by Ludwig van Beethoven or Gustav Mahler that inspire transcendent experiences in the concert hall. That can also happen with contemporary music. Even with music that is created for the first time during the performance, in the here and now. With music by Fritz Hauser. Scores only come alive when they are performed. Fritz Hauser writes such scores. But he has also produced large-scale compositions that work without written notation, such as his series of Schraffuren for a wide variety of arrangements. But are these “works”

after all? And is Hauser not better known as a performer, a percussionist in the field of improvisation and contemporary music, than as a composer? Lucerne’s composer-in-residence for the summer of 2018 eludes any classification. He prefers instead to refer to the statement by the painter Jean Dubuffet: “Art does not lie down on the bed that is made for it; it runs away as soon as its name is pronounced: it loves to go incognito. Its best moments are when it forgets what it is called.” A promising artistic strategy − especially if you work as intensively with and as close to sounds as Fritz Hauser.

Fritz Hauser | Composer-in-Residence

18 August | 21.00 Modern 1 KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall

Basler Madrigalisten | contrapunkt chor | Trio Klick | Fritz Hauser

artistic direction

Exploring the world of percussion: Fritz Hauser invents a fascinating, highly unique universe of sound (here with the Basel Sinfonietta in the summer of 2010 in Lucerne).

His goal is not a product that in the end is safeguarded by reason but rather a creative process involving sounds that is guided by critical control and intuition alike, in which performers as well as listeners can experience themselves as free subjects. His compositions emerge from and take place within the concrete context of performance. John Cage’s open conceptual approach is therefore closer to him than the written score of a Pierre Boulez or some other representative of new music. A response to those who object to esotericism and to vague indeterminacy can be seen with Karlheinz Stockhausen, who became deeply involved with improvisatory concepts in the 1970s. For Stockhausen, this had to do with an “intuitive certainty,” from which music emerged organically. The indispensable prerequisites for such an “intuitive music” were the player’s self-control and self-criticism. And, in this respect, Fritz Hauser is similarly rigorous. RIGOR, FREEDOM, SENSUALITY He is also a Minimalist who designs and implements his individual aesthetic of sounds with the greatest precision. Hauser’s pieces grant the performers much responsibility, but a great deal of creative leeway as well. This involves the experience of freedom that is transmitted directly to the audience through his music. If the audience becomes disengaged from conventions and from what it expects to hear − and that happens inevitably, if it surrenders to Hauser’s sonic dramaturgy − the resulting experience is a wonderful feeling of freedom. Beginning, playing, ending: Fritz Hauser has a special flair for form. What for other

composers has degenerated into a “science” with complex formal strategies sounds simple and organic in his case. An example is what audiences experienced at the 2010 Summer Festival in Lucerne, when Hauser and the Basel Sinfonietta premiered Schraffur for Gong and Orchestra. Here, an orchestral organism generates a riveting arc of sound − without using any score whatsoever, but only with the simple technique of hatching. (You can listen to an example at vimeo.com/pointdevue/schraffur.) RUBBING, STROKING, SCRAPING Hatching or drawing fine lines, tracing all sorts of objects with a pencil, is a practice that children are fond of using. The result isn’t just an image, but it produces a noise as well: from the seemingly monotonous back-and-forth motion of the pencil, there emerge tones and overtones, diminuendi and crescendi, musical forms! Fritz Hauser hatches over and over, listening closely – and thus over the years has created his series of works Schraffuren for a variety of musicians, theaters and museums. During the 2018 Summer Festival, he will add to this a Schraffur for the KKL Luzern on the Special Event Day on 26 August. His work Trommel mit Mann, an evening of theater that Hauser crafted with the director Barbara Frey, also developed from the perspective of childhood. The stage setting is spartan, and there is no text. A man, as blank a page as a child, sits in short pants in front of a drum. Nothing happens for a long time. But then: a whack, and the exploration of the percussive world begins − rubbing, stroking, scraping … ■

“Chortrommel” (“Choirdrum”) ten world premieres of works by Olivier Cuendet, Fritz Hauser, Christian Henking, Leonardo Idrobo, Vera Kappeler, Lucas Niggli, Katharina Rosenberger, Denis Schuler, Mike Svoboda, and Helena Winkelman 25 August | 22.00 Modern 2 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

we spoke: percussion | Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI Hauser Rundum (world premiere) 26 August | 10.15 Special Event Day − Opening KKL Luzern Hauser Schraffur for the KKL Luzern Performance with 200 children and adults in and with the KKL Luzern 26 August | 20.00 Recital KKL Luzern

Fritz Hauser percussion “Fritz Hauser Solo” 8 September | 21.00 Modern 5 Neubad

we spoke: percussion | Solenn’ Lavanant-Linke, Leslie Leon, Rebecca Ockenden, Barbara Schingnitz vocal soloists (Hauser) | SoloVoices Hauser Klangkörper. Voices – Percussion – Space | Stockhausen Stimmung 15 September | 21.00 Music Theater 3 Luzerner Theater

Fritz Hauser percussion | Barbara Frey staging | Brigitte Dubach lighting design Trommel mit Mann (“Drum with Man”)

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 27

Sir Simon Rattle | A Portrait

In 2018 Sir Simon Rattle and his new ensemble, the London Symphony Orchestra, will travel together to Lucerne for the first time. In keeping with the summer theme of “childhood,” they will present Ravel’s ravishing one-act opera L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. And he will also collaborate with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY. A musician without borders.

TEXT: PETER HAGMANN

veryone was already seated, the noise level had subsided, and things were ready to start. But before he began, Simon Rattle gave a little introduction. He announced that they would play the piece twice, and for the second runthrough, the audience was invited to change seats, since another acoustical perspective would give them a completely different experience. Moreover, added the conductor, he was quite excited because he knew that Pierre Boulez was in the audience. This was the scene on 23 March 1996 at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, where the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was performing with its chief conductor. What had occasioned Rattle’s remarks was Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Gruppen for three orchestras, a work that requires a trio of conductors. And, at the premiere on 24 March 1958, Pierre Boulez, together with the composer and Bruno Maderna, had indeed been the third conductor. We can see from this little episode the larger outlines that Simon Rattle follows in his artistic work. Since his early beginnings, when he entered the Royal Academy of Music in London at the age of sixteen and, along with training as a percussionist, soon began to conduct, Rattle’s talent for communication has been obvious. From that time on, it has been said that the young musician on the podium won the members of the orchestra through his devotion. And today, as he takes leave of his duties in the German capital, the Berlin Philharmonic players indicate that Rattle has unquestionably been their friendliest chief conductor. The fact that signaling with the baton comprises only a small part of the conductor’s craft and that the ability to communicate – with the musicians, with the audience members, with the donors – is decidedly more important is confirmed once again by the case of Simon Rattle. This talent for communication has enabled Rattle to find a setting for his passion, which already took hold in his early years: new music. Where other youngsters discover their penchant for classical music through Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven, for Rattle this occurred with Schoenberg and, later, with a host of pieces in which

28 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

The Conductor Simon Rattle

A Modern Musician LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 29

percussion played a dominant role. To him, the music of the 20th century has always been as much a matter to be taken for granted as the conventional repertoire. This could already be observed in his first engagements with the orchestras in Bournemouth and in his native Liverpool, as well as with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. It became completely clear with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, with which he made his debut in 1978, at the age of 23, and whose chief conductor he was chosen to be in 1980. He very consciously launched his tenure there with Boulez’s Rituel. AN ADVOCATE FOR MODERN MUSIC … New music is simply part of what Simon Rattle does. He makes no fuss about it, nor does he project the image of a specialist. This is something he shares with such colleagues as Kent Nagano, Marc Albrecht, and Cornelius Meister. In Birmingham he accomplished a good deal in this area. It wasn’t just that he helped the orchestra reach a completely new and internationally recognized level of quality. Or that he was a dynamic champion for the construction of the spectacular Birmingham Symphony Hall. He also showed how an ensemble can be transformed into a modern orchestra − mind you, without losing his audience. A glance at the programming from the twenty years of his career there says it all. What stands out is the bold and thrilling project to trace the music history of the 20th century comprehensively by taking it in steps, decade by decade. A good example of this is the program that the guest artists from Birmingham performed in 1996 at the Konzerthaus in Vienna: along with Stockhausen’s Gruppen (which Rattle will also conduct in Lucerne in the summer of 2018), it included Olivier Messiaen’s sensuous Chronochromie from 1960. A regular guest for over 20 years: in the summer of 1996, Simon Rattle debuted in Lucerne with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (right), and in the summer of 2014 he collaborated with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY for the first time (above).

New music is simply part of what Sir Simon does: following the world premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s Violin Concerto In tempus praesens in the summer of 2007 (with Anne-Sophie Mutter, the composer, and the Berlin Philharmonic).

During the annual guest appearances at LUCERNE FESTIVAL by the Berlin Philharmonic, which he led between 2003 and 2017, Rattle also gave more space to new music than had been the case up until then. His first year in Lucerne included Surrogate Cities by Heiner Goebbels, that summer’s composer-in-residence. Later came the world premieres of Sofia Gubaidulina’s Violin Concerto In tempus praesens (2007) and of the colorful orchestral piece Laterna magica by Kaija Saariaho (2009). And even for Messiaen’s evening-length Éclairs sur l’au-delà in the summer of 2004, the KKL Luzern Concert Hall was filled to capacity. … WITH A WEAKNESS FOR EARLY MUSIC At the same time – and this is part of the astonishingly distinctive profile of this conductor – Rattle applied himself quite early in his career to the area of historically informed performance practice. At the Glyndebourne Festival in the summer of 1987, he conducted the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, which had been founded just one year earlier in London, in Mozart’s Idomeneo. Following on the success of this production with period instruments and in the performance style appropriate to them were Le nozze di Figaro in 1989, Così fan tutte in 1991, and, in 1994, Don Giovanni. At that time, Rattle already belonged to the circle of principal artists with whom the Orchestra surrounded itself – a group

of conductors who included not only such high-caliber specialists as Frans Brüggen and René Jacobs but also particularly interested generalists like Vladimir Jurowski and Iván Fischer. When Rattle was still a conservatory student, early music was not an issue for the young percussionist. He had, however, started exchanging views with a violinist who was very much interested precisely in that: Monica Huggett, a fellow student at the Royal th Academy in London. But it was for the most part simply by doing it that Rattle approached the realm of early music. He was eager to receive advice from expert quarters – without ever wanting to conceal the fact. For the Don Giovanni in Glyndebourne, he benefited from a concert performance of the opera that John Eliot Gardiner hat conducted at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Earlier, in 1975, he had collaborated with Gardiner on the rediscovery of the opera Les Boréades by Jean-Philippe Rameau. He also engaged in animated exchanges with the harpsichordist and conductor William Christie, without whose

TO RATTLE, THE MUSIC OF THE 20 CENTURY HAS ALWAYS BEEN AS MUCH A MATTER TO BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED AS THE CONVENTIONAL REPERTOIRE.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 31

9 September | starting at 18.30 Cosmos Stockhausen 6 & 7 | Symphony Concert 24 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall und Lucerne Hall

London Symphony Orchestra | London Symphony Choir | Sir Simon Rattle conductor | Magdalena Kožená | Marie-Nicole Lemieux | Jane Archibald | Anna Stéphany | Elizabeth Watts | Sunnyboy Dladla | Gavan Ring | David Shipley support the marvelous performance of Les Boréades at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival in 1999, with Rattle leading the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, would not have come about. THE ANTI-SPECIALIST In this area as well, Rattle avoids being labeled a specialist. He is in this sense just like other musicians of our time who are at the pinnacle of their art and who want to cover as wide an aesthetic horizon as they possibly can. Like the conductor François-Xavier Roth, who gave the premiere of the SIMON RATTLE IS AN ANTI- latest brand-new work at the Music Festival SPECIALIST WHO WANTS Donaueschingen and then returned at once to his TO COVER AS WIDE AN orchestra Les Siècles to conduct Organ Symphony of Camille AESTHETIC HORIZON AS HE the Saint-Saëns, using instruments POSSIBLY CAN – AND BRINGS from the period in which the was written. (In Lucerne, THESE DIFFERENT SPHERES piece Roth will perform in the summer INTO PRODUCTIVE DIALOGUE of 2018 with the Mahler Chamber and “artiste étoile” Sol WITH EACH OTHER. Orchestra Gabetta). Or like the soprano Anna Prohaska, who is just as eager to be heard (and who performs just as well) in music by Salvatore Sciarrino as in pieces by Claudio Monteverdi. But what should not be overlooked is how Rattle brings these different spheres into productive dialogue with each other. When he recorded Beethoven’s symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic in 2002, he endeavored to incorporate into his interpretations what the period instrument Simon Rattle pays movement had illuminated about these works. In his visit his first visit to Lucerne in 2013, where he performed Mozart’s last three to Lucerne with the symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic, he pursued the London Symphony same approach. And it’s no surprise that he is one of the Orchestra, whose few conductors who have been passionately and successleadership he took fully dedicated to the music of Joseph Haydn. on in the fall of 2017. 32 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Ravel Ma mère l’Oye | Shéhérazade | L’Enfant et les Sortilèges 11 September | 19.30 Symphony Concert 26 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

London Symphony Orchestra | Sir Simon Rattle conductor | Krystian Zimerman piano Bernstein Symphony No. 2 The Age of Anxiety | Dvořák Slavonic Dances, Op. 72 | Janáček Sinfonietta

Aside from all these observations, it should not be forgotten that the great Romantic repertoire also represents a focus of Simon Rattle’s activity. Brahms, Bruckner, and Mahler are for him its essential pillars, as his Lucerne performances have shown. Meanwhile, he has continually added a touch of his own. In contrast to Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado, his predecessors in Berlin, he has give the symphonies of Johannes Brahms a lyrical guise and light sonority. On the other hand, in his complete performances of Wagner’s Ring cycle from 2007 to 2010 in Aix-en-Provence and at the Salzburg Easter Festival, he elicited such splendid playing by the Berlin Philharmonic that the music drama nearly became a vast symphonic poem – and the Viennese critics vented noisily. But he also showed that he can approach Wagner in a completely different way when he conducted Das Rheingold with the period instruments of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in Baden-Baden in 2004, creating an unusually bright, transparent sound picture. Even if it did not please everybody – that would not have troubled Simon Rattle. He hopes to continue cultivating his protean garden and has been doing so since the fall of 2017 with the London Symphony Orchestra, with which he will perform in Lucerne for the first time in September 2018. ■

Art has many forms.

At Roche we embrace science and art. Both energize our imaginations and inspire inventions - making our world better.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 33

Summer Focus: “Childhood”

When It All Happens for the First Time

eldom will you encounter so many children in the KKL Luzern – but that should be no surprise, since the 2018 Summer Festival is devoted to the theme of “Childhood.” Which means that there will be many projects specifically aimed at the youngest generation: the audience of tomorrow is meant to be the focus. So as “artiste étoile” we have appointed the Luxembourg-based director and performer Dan Tanson, who has already produced marvelous performances for LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG. And we look forward to the “drum artist” Fritz Hauser as our composer-in-residence. His Schraffur is a project that calls for 200 participants across all age levels and draws on the childlike practice of cross-hatch sketching. Yet that is only one aspect, for the programming also includes some works to be performed by the major symphony orchestras which will address themes dealing with childhood or evoking the poetry of childhood. The questions become: what does childhood look like, how should it be? What is it that we remember when we reminisce? One thing is certain: during childhood, everything happens for the first time. Everything is still unknown, new, and perhaps even uncanny and has yet to be discovered, investigated, and explored. At the same time, childhood is the period of life for absolute individuality, because you can make your own sense out of every phenomenon. Children invent their own names for objects and people and devise unorthodox explanations for certain phenomena and for reality. Only over the course of growing up must they adapt to society’s conventions and to the world agreed upon by science. But anyone who still manifests deviant views as an adult − which is to say anyone who has remained a child − is regarded as naive or even as an escapist and crackpot. In our 2018 summer concerts, we will highlight works that take up the themes of children and childhood. Music by Georges Bizet, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Claude Debussy, and Igor Stravinsky is part of the lineup. Sir Simon Rattle will conduct Maurice Ravel’s clever but also spooky opera L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, in which a child stays home alone and watches everything around him suddenly come to life: the furniture, crockery, even the chimney fire… We will present works that have a background related to music education, such as Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf or A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, in which Benjamin Britten introduces the instruments of the orchestra. A prominent role will naturally be given to all sorts of fairy-tale-related material. We will come face to face with Cinderella and the Nutcracker, with terrifying witches, mermen, and enchanted birds. We will try to understand the psyches of such composers as Wolfgang Amadé Mozart and Anton Bruckner, who did not adapt to the rules of adulthood. We will take up the dazzling phenomenon of “child prodigies.” And of course we will also explore childhood as a locus of desire, as a theme of Paradise and innocence and of happiness lost. ■

34 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Theme Sponsor LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 35

Summer Focus: “Childhood”

The Child as Miracle Prodigies, from Wolfgang Amadé Mozart to Alma Deutscher

Many leading musicians came into the spotlight while they were still youngsters, earning universal amazement. In the summer of 2018, LUCERNE FESTIVAL explores the phenomenon of “child prodigies” – and presents some current candidates for the title. TEXT: WOLFGANG STÄHR

hen Europeans stopped believing in miracles, they started to find inspiration in miracle children: prodigies. And in the 18th century, no precocious figure seemed more surrounded by that particular halo than the young Wolfgang Amadé Mozart from Salzburg. In June 1763, when he was only seven, this son of a professional musician embarked on a tour with his father and “A PHENOMENON sister that seemed as though it never end. He visited LIKE MOZART ALWAYS might Europe’s aristocratic courts, REMAINS A MIRACLE castles, and palaces and was featured star in the salons THAT CANNOT BE the of the major cities – and he FURTHER EXPLAINED.” left the skeptics utterly baffled. Incredible! Remarkable! Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Unprecedented! “Tell me, does this not exceed all power of imagination? – And yet it is the pure truth!” wrote a correspondent of the Intelligenz-Zettel from Augsburg. In Frankfurt am Main, a soirée with the young virtuoso and his hardly any less remarkable sister Nannerl was scheduled once again, after having been repeated three times, to satisfy “the requests of various great connoisseurs and amateurs.” The marvelous Mozart, as one announcement put it, would “play a concert on the violin, accompany symphonies at the keyboard, completely cover the manual or keyboard of a clavier with a cloth, and play on the cloth just as well as if the keyboard were open to view.” Among the attendees witAlready a star nessing these prodigy performances in Frankfurt, which even as a toddler: portrait were billed as a sensation, was the family of the imperiof the six-yearal councilor Johann Caspar Goethe, whose son, Johann old Mozart in Wolfgang, would return to that memorable evening his “gala suit,” seven decades later in conversations with his close which had been friend, Johann Peter Eckermann: “At dinner with left him by the Goethe. We spoke about Mozart. ‘I saw him as a child hereditary of seven,’ said Goethe, ‘when he gave a concert while Viennese Prince passing by on his travels. I myself was about fourteen, Maximilian

and I still quite clearly remember the little man with his headdress and sword.’” On a later occasion, the great poet and his loyal assistant once again conversed on the topic of the highly gifted child. “It is remarkable,” Eckermann observed, “that of all talents, it is the musical one that manifests itself the earliest, so that Mozart in his fifth year, Beethoven in his eighth, and Hummel in his ninth already astounded those immediately around them with their playing and compositions. ‘Musical talent,’ said Goethe, ‘can indeed manifest itself the earliest, in that music is something quite innate, internal, which requires no great fostering from outside and no experience drawn from life. But a phenomenon like Mozart always remains a miracle that cannot be further explained.’” BETWEEN GENIUS AND A CIRCUS ACT There’s no doubt about it: for posterity, Mozart became the epitome, standard, and model of the child prodigy in music, the very first who springs to mind (even if not by strictly historical criteria but as a kind of prototype). The tours that were consciously organized as commercial ventures, the early works that circulated in print, the performances showing off his stupendous virtuosity (including such dubious stunts as playing on a covered keyboard): similar examples of all of these recipes for success, advertising strategies, and attractions from the peripatetic Mozart family can be found in the life stories of later child prodigies. And the number of these increased significantly in the 19th century, even as their performances decreased to an alarming degree in terms of respectability – which is why the tag “child prodigy” quickly acquired connotations of a circus act, country fair show, or trained poodle. For this reason – from ongoing negative experiences – the composer Ignaz Moscheles, who himself had enchanted the concert world at the age of 12 as a piano virtuoso, attached great importance to the fundamental difference between the child which is lionized and the musician who is to be taken seriously. After a visit with the Mendelssohns in Berlin, he wrote in his diary: “This is LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 37

Summer Focus: “Childhood”

“What are all child prodigies compared to him?” The 12-year-old Felix Mendelssohn, portrait by Carl Begas

“HAVE THE FORTUNATE SIMPLY RESCUED FROM A LOST AGE OF INNOCENCE THE CONVICTION OF UNLIMITED POSSIBILITY, THE INSTINCT FOR REAL WORTH, WHICH MAKES IT EASIER FOR CHILDREN TO IDENTITY WITH GREAT SOLOISTS OR SIMPLE SOULS THAN WITH ABLE MIDDLEMEN?” Yehudi Menuhin

Child Prodigies of Past and Present – at LUCERNE FESTIVAL 18 August | 18.30 Symphony Concert 1 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Chamber Orchestra of Europe | Bernard Haitink conductor | Alina Ibragimova violin Mendelssohn Overture to The Fair Melusine, Op. 32 | Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 | Schubert Symphony No. 8 in C major D 944 (“Great”) 21 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 5 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

West-Eastern Divan Orchestra | Daniel Barenboim conductor | Elsa Dreisig soprano Coleman Palestine for soprano and orchestra (Swiss premiere) | Bruckner Symphony No. 9 in D minor, WAB 109

Wilhelm Furtwängler called him “a phenomenon”: the young Daniel Barenboim playing on Mozart’s spinet in the house where the composer was born, 1952.

38 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

29 August | 12.15 “Wunderkind” Debut 1 Lukaskirche

Alma Deutscher violin and piano works by Alma Deutscher, J. S. Bach, and Domenico Scarlatti

“I have just discovered a young violinist who is a miracle for all of us.” Herbert von Karajan after Anne-Sophie Mutter’s Festival debut in Lucerne in the summer of 1976 (with her brother Christoph at the keyboard)

a family the like of which I have never known. Felix, a boy of fifteen, is a phenomenon of the sort that no longer exists! What are all child prodigies compared with him? They are just that, child prodigies, nothing more; this Felix Mendelssohn is already a mature artist, and that at only fifteen years old!” Many children who were groomed as “miracles” came and went, but most of them were only, to borrow a phrase from Kant, curious creations “of ephemeral existence.” Individuals like the Viennese violinist and “little violin god” Franz Clement, who played the premiere of Beethoven’s D major Concerto, had to endure the experience of seeing what was once the public’s hysterical enthusiasm turn into its opposite as the years passed. Clement died a miserable failure and a well-known misfit. Still, there were of course a few very or even super-talented figures who were able to continue on to careers that eclipsed their origins as concertizing child prodigies. Just think of Clara Wieck, Frédéric Chopin, and Franz Liszt or, in more recent times, of Yehudi Menuhin, Lorin Maazel, Daniel Barenboim, Rudolf Buchbinder, and Anne-Sophie Mutter, whose globe-trotting career began in 1976 with her debut at the Luzerner Musikfestwochen (as the Fes-

5 September | 12.15 “Wunderkind” Debut 2 Lukaskirche

Lionel Martin cello | Luisa Schwegler piano works by Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Penderecki 12 September | 12.15 “Wunderkind” Debut 3 Lukaskirche

Dmitry Ishkhanov piano The program will be announced at a later date. 15 September | 16.00 Chamber Music 3 Lukaskirche

casalQuartett Mozart String Quartet in C major, K. 170 | Arriaga String Quartet No. 1 in D minor | Deutscher Rondo for String Quartet | Mendelssohn String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 39

She writes operas and concertos, piano and chamber music, and appears all over the world as a pianist and violinist – and the English musician Alma Deutscher is only 12 years old.

tival was then known) – with an introduction by Herbert von Karajan. “I have just discovered a young violinist who is a miracle for all of us,” is what “the master” is commonly believed to have declared. “INDIVIDUALS WHO ASTOUND” “Little Maazel” was just a nine-year-old in short pants when he led an orchestral performance at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. But children who conduct tend to be smiled at rather than admired, as Daniel Barenboïm, who also showed his double talent at a young age, came to realize. He was eleven when he took up studies with Igor Markevitch in Salzburg: “I was the youngest participant in the conducting class, since everybody else was well over twenty. I recall that many of my so-called colleagues, who were already conductors, were not particularly friendly in the way they treated me; I was, all told, still just a child. There was an exception: Herbert Blomstedt. He was very nice to me and always made an effort to explain things to me.” In his memoirs, the violinist Yehudi Menuhin recounts how the older women of the Pacific Ladies’ Musical Society in San Francisco fell from the sevenyear-old’s favor because they called him “cute” – an unforgivable blunder! When one of these patronesses praised Menuhin as a “second Paganini,” he insolently responded: “Have you heard Paganini?” Yehudi Menuhin confided that the first four years of his life had given him something no music conservatory in the world could have: the feeling of a vocation. “Such a feeling is likely innate in every child. Have the fortunate simply rescued from a lost age of innocence the conviction of unlimited possibility, the instinct for real worth, which makes it easier for children to identity with great soloists or simple souls than with able middlemen?” Could it be that another of these “fortunates” is the English Alma Deutscher, who was born in 2005? She 40 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Age 9, Lorin Maazel conducting the Interlochen Orchestra, which comprises students | above left: Yehudi Menuhin at the age of 11 with the conductor Fritz Busch

began at a very young age to compose operas, sonatas, string quartets, and concertos for piano and violin, and she also has an extraordinary talent for playing piano and violin. In the “Summer of Childhood” of 2018, Alma Deutscher will make her LUCERNE FESTIVAL debut as a composer and virtuosa. And unlike the examples of Mozart, Menuhin, and Mutter, unlike the child prodigies of history or those who fortunately went on to have fully adult careers, no one yet knows what the future holds for Alma Deutscher, this incredibly talented musician – anymore than they know what it holds for both of the other young artists who have been invited to perform in our Debut series: the pianst Dmitry Ishkhanov and the cellist Lionel Martin. “But how would the Deity find occasion to do miracles everywhere,” said Goethe in a conversation with Eckermann, “if it did not sometimes try them in extraordinary individuals, at whom we marvel and who leave us unable to understand where they come from?” ■

36 10 2014

What unites us with Was uns mit Musikern musicians verbindet, is istour dielove Liebe OF ZURPERFECT PERFEKTEN COMPOSITION. KOMPOSITION.

THIS DAS IST IS CLARIANT: CLARIANT: PASSIONATE LEIDENSCHAFTLICHER SPONSOR OF FÖRDERER THE ARTS DER KÜNSTE When Das perfekte melody,Zusammenspiel tempo, and rhythm von Harmocome nie, together Tempo in perfect und Rhythmus harmony,erschafft it creates Musik, die moves uns alleusbewegt. Fast wie uns: music that all. We work in abei similar DennWhen wennwe wirwant etwas way: to bewegen get thingswollen, moving, entstehen Engagement, Know-how we combineaus commitment, expertise, and und Forschung innovative Lösungen fürfor research to develop innovative solutions die Spezial chemie, die senken, specialty chemicals thatEmissionen reduce emissions, Roh stofferesources sparen ––und Wert preserve andnachhaltig create sustainable schaffen. ist unstowichtig. value. ThatDas is music our ears.

WWW.CLARIANT.COM LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 41

LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG

CONCERTS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY! Pillow concerts, puppet theater, family concerts: LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG presents a wide range of age-appropriate programs for young listeners − which will naturally be part of the “Summer of Childhood” in 2018. Domande – Fragen (Questions) after Jostein Gaarder | 25 August 2018 La Boîte à joujoux (The Toy Box) | 1 September 2018 Senegalliarde | 15 September 2018 Tickets at: t +41 (0)41 226 44 80 | lucernefestival.ch

Summer Focus: “Childhood”

Being Young Isn’t a Matter of Age Dan Tanson is just the right “artiste étoile” for Lucerne’s “Summer of Childhood” in 2018. The Luxembourg-based director and performer designs imaginative pieces of music theater for young listeners – and talks about what this entails and his own musical influences. INTERVIEW: MALTE LOHMANN

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 43

Summer Focus: “Childhood”

“My projects should be entertaining”: In Dan Tanson’s pieces, the notes acquire motion.

“Childhood” is the theme of the 2018 Summer Festival. So the first question is: what was your own “first time” in terms of music? Were you already turned on to music in your early years? Yes, in the children’s choir, where I became familiar with the traditional sacred music repertoire, including Bach. My mother also sang, and my father played piano. The way a house changes, the way a different atmosphere suddenly arises when music is heard − that experience left an impression. But my real musical socialization only came later. I am a “pop kid.” In my early years I discovered post-punk bands like The Cure and Joy Division, and I later played rock guitar. 44 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Yet in your pieces you use lots of classical music … When I started design productions for children – in fact I come originally from puppet theater − I desired more musical content and did not want to have superficial background music. I quickly alighted on jazz, Arvo Pärt, and Meredith Monk and thus found a new way to get into classical music. The innovative approaches in contemporary dance that I witnessed during my student years in Brussels were also of great importance. Alain Platel’s lets op Bach, for instance, was a key moment for me, because here Bach’s music was no longer associated with a church setting but was now situated in a modern context that was my con-

… and now he returns as the Festival’s “artiste étoile.”

On to new frontiers: Dan Tanson was behind the very first Young Performance production with HEROÏCA …

text. The dancers were tattooed punks, the singers appeared in shorts and Hawaiian shirts. Nowadays I listen to everything, from early music to Minimalism, techno, rap metal and jazz − without assigning values or hierarchies. Do your own pieces involve such conscious reworking and updating? No, since children listen with their hearts; they lack the musical-historical knowledge to experience these kinds of updating as such. What I do, though, is to combine music from a wide variety of eras, surfing like a DJ from one style to the next, and I often ask the musicians with whom I work for their suggestions about this – and in the process have gotten to know lots of new things.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG Concerts for the entire family that have something for all age levels – from grandchildren to grandma. 25 August | 11.00/15.00 Young Family Concert Kleintheater Luzern

“Domande – Fragen” (“Questions”) A comic-philosophical concert based on Jostein Gaarder with the Teatro Dimitri (for ages 8 and up) 26 August | 10.15 Special Event Day − Opening KKL Luzern

Hauser Schraffur for the KKL Luzern Performance with 200 children and adults from Central Switzerland in and around the KKL Luzern 1 September | 11.00/15.00 Young Family Concert Neubad

Debussy La Boîte à joujoux (The Toy Box) A choreographed concert by Elisabeth Anliker and Sarah Keusch with students of the Hochschule Luzern – Musik (for ages 6 and up) 15 September | 11.00/15.00 Young Pillow Concert Maskenliebhabersaal

“Senegalliarde” A team play featuring works by Saint-Saëns, Donizetti, Cage, Pärt, and traditional music from Senegal by Dan Tanson (for ages 5 and up) Note: All stagings are performed in German.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 45

“It helps when musicians are curious”: Dan Tanson rehearsing

ment weighing 10 kilograms, then that role is already defined. Is a new type of musician necessary for this staged approach? It helps if the musicians are curious and want to try things out − which in my experience applies to almost all of them, even if some of them are designed for the “beautiful tone.” I am often shocked that the stage plays hardly any role in high school education! Some musicians are naturally more prone to be “performative.” Others have had experiences with contemporary music and, for example, are familiar with the instrumental theater of a Mauricio Kagel, which is of course an advantage. In my view, it is important not to force the musicians from the outset into a definitive role in the way that is possible with professional actors. I first of all try to experience what the musicians are like as human beings: we start by “playing” together, during which I observe very carefully what the musicians offer, and we then develop that further. To be sure, this approach requires a longer rehearsal period, but later that benefits the concert.

Your productions are aimed at “young listeners from 3 to 99.” So, for you, “young” is less a question of age than one of mindset. Nevertheless: what is especially important for you when you approach a project for young listeners? That depends very much on the age of the children. But one constant in my projects is that they are very entertaining, I don’t want them to become a purely intellectual matter. Moreover, I prefer to stage situations rather than statements, since children live in the here and now. So it might involve, for example, the theme of “arguing”: how do we start doing that, how do we solve it? I might stage this as a “girls against boys” scene. Children are familiar with that, and they need situations like this which they can recognize. But to tell a story by hook or by crook can have a somewhat cumbersome effect. Offering multiple ways of reading a scene creates something for older people and for grownups. Other levels open up for them, which I likewise allude to, because they also need to be 46 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

entertained: say, the conflict between the sexes or the fundamental human issue of war. The body as a source of making music is also important in my productions, for children can observe precisely what is happening on the stage before them. When one of the actors appears with a tuba, with an instru-

Dan Tanson Dan Tanson studied visual communication, with a focus on illustrating children’s books, and he completed courses in acting, contemporary puppet theater, physical theater, and improvisation. In 2003 he founded the group Traffik Theater Luxemburg, which produces music theater pieces for a young audience and which has performed throughout Europe. For LUCERNE FESTIVAL, Dan Tanson previously designed the productions Drumblebee, HEROÏCA, and Goldmädchen.

The concert offerings specially designed for young listeners are growing, as the socalled education field becomes increasingly important. Is this a reaction to the dismantling of music instruction in the schools? I regret that the arts are receiving less and less space in school, but I believe that it is not only a question of having the festivals and concert halls filling the gap. Instead, they are increasingly perceiving the young audience to be a discerning target group and want to offer cultural diversity to children and families. It may also be that they want to respond to the future depletion of the audience, but that is probably of secondary importance. Having said that, I think that such concert offering for young listeners will succeed in generating a new audience, particularly in view of the fact that I have been observing a double effect. Parents who attend children’s concerts with their young ones discover classical music for themselves and find their own reservations dissipating. Perhaps that is one reason for the success of my pieces, which can always be experienced on several levels and therefore are also exciting for grownups. ■

NOMOZART

Young Performance on Tour It doesn’t always have to be Mozart: in the spring of 2018, Young Performance goes on tour with its current production success NOMOZART – from 4 to 18 March, all across Switzerland and to Luxembourg. Detailed information as well as tickets can be found starting in January 2018 at youngperformance.ch.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 47

Summer Focus: “Childhood”

Who Could That Be?

Even big stars were once small. In keeping with our thematic focus on “Childhood,” we’ve asked some of the artists of the summer of 2018 to send us photos of themselves as children. And you are now invited to figure out: who could that be?

3 Please send us your response by 25 March 2018 at the latest, via e-mail to info@lucernefestival.ch or by regular mail to LUCERNE FESTIVAL, Hirschmattstrasse 13, P.O. Box, CH−6002 Luzern.

48 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

7 Whoever gets the correct pairing or, as the case may be, comes closest to it, has a chance to win two concert tickets: we will select 3 winners each of a pair of tickets for the performance by the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA under Riccardo Chailly on 25 August 2018, featuring works by Richard Wagner and Anton Bruckner. The winners will be notified immediately after the draw. We will then publish the correct answers in our Day by Day Festival guide, which will appear in June 2018.

Summer Focus: “Childhood”

Scenes of Childhood

Lucerne’s summer of music in 2018 will be like a fountain of youth, transporting us back to childhood. With music that was specifically composed for children but that also enchants adult listeners. And with works in which composers reminisce about their first years of life – the adventures and stories, fears and dreams they experienced then. We have compiled some of these “scenes of childhood” on the following pages.

50 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Simply Magical On Christmas Eve, the toys awaken to life: in his enchanting Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky dreams his way back into childhood. 4 September | 19.30 Symphony Concert 18

St. Petersburg Philharmonic| Yuri Temirkanov conductor | Sergei Redkin piano Rimsky-Korsakov Suite from the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57 | Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 | Tchaikovsky Suite from the ballet The Nutcracker, Op. 71

A Confectionary Utopia A chance to feast to your heart’s content in the pasty shop: Richard Strauss transformed this childhood dream into a delectable ballet score – with marzipan marches and a waltz for Princess Praline. 19 August | 11.00 Symphony Concert 2

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande | Jonathan Nott conductor | Renaud Capuçon violin Debussy Jeux | Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 | Strauss Suite from the ballet Schlagobers

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 51

Puppets Come to Life The Russian version of Punch is named Petrushka. Igor Stravinsky created a musical monument to puppet theater and its comitragic heroes. 3 September | 19.30 Symphony Concert 17

Munich Philharmonic | Valery Gergiev conductor Rimsky-Korsakov Sheherazade, Op. 35 | Stravinsky Petrushka | Le Sacre du printemps

Witch and Wizard

An evening of Russian music featuring the piano wizard Daniil Trifonov – and two outings into the world of fairy-tale. Along with Cinderella, we meet the horrible witch Kikimora. 27 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 10

Lucerne Symphony Orchestra | James Gaffigan conductor | Daniil Trifonov piano Liadov Kikimora, Op. 63 | Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40 | Prokofiev Suite from the ballet Cinderella, Op. 87

52 LUCERNE LUCERNE FESTIVAL FESTIVAL || 2018 2018 ANNUAL ANNUAL

Presenting the Entire Orchestra In his entertaining guide to the orchestra, Benjamin Britten introduces the different instruments in such a colorful way that you immediately want to learn to play them all. 16 September | 17.00 Symphony Concert 31

Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela | Gustavo Dudamel conductor Brahms Haydn Variations, Op. 56a | Britten The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 | Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

A Delight for Children … … and adults alike: Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, thrillingly narrated by the young actress Anuk Steffen (in German), is an essential piece for Lucerne’s “Summer of Childhood.” 9 September | 11.00 Symphony Concert 23

English Chamber Orchestra | Wolfram Christ conductor | Anuk Steffen narrator

Mozart Cassation in G major, K. 63 | Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 D major, Op. 25 Symphonie classique | Mozart Symphony in E-flat major, K. 16 | Prokofiev March in B-flat major, Op. 99 | Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 53

A Symphonic Requiem

In his Fourth Symphony, Franz Schmidt came to terms with a terrible misfortune: the death of his daughter Emma. Kirill Petrenko is the best champion of this rarely heard work. 30 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 13

Berlin Philharmonic | Kirill Petrenko conductor | Yuja Wang piano Dukas La Péri ou La Fleur d’immortalité | Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26 | Schmidt Symphony No. 4 in C major

“Children, make it new!” That’s what Richard Wagner demanded from composers of all eras. New ideas, new music, freedom, and fantasy inspire the räsonanz donor concerts. And when András Schiff plays, even Beethoven becomes a timeless contemporary. 20 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 4 − räsonanz Donor Concert

54 LUCERNE LUCERNE FESTIVAL FESTIVAL || 2018 2018 ANNUAL ANNUAL

Child’s Play … … is exactly what this music is not, even if Sol Gabetta makes the most difficult concertos seem like it. But Haydn’s clucking La Poule and Bizet’s musical soap bubbles and carousel horses fuse art and childhood, virtuosity and high jinks. 28 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 11

Heavenly Children’s Choir There’s a place for children as well in Gustav Mahler’s Third Symphony, his musical outline of the entire world: their angelic singing represents the heavenly sphere. 13 September | 19.30 Symphony Concert 28

Boston Symphony Orchestra | choirs | Andris Nelsons conductor | Susan Graham mezzo-soprano Mahler Symphony No. 3 in D minor

60 Years of the Berlin Philharmonic at LUCERNE FESTIVAL

A Feast for Music

Their performances are among the annual highlights of the Summer Festival in Lucerne: the Berlin Philharmonic have been regular guests for 60 years. But their anniversary year will bring something new. For the first time ever, this top German orchestra will perform here with its future chief conductor, Kirill Petrenko.

TEXT: SUSANNE STÄHR

t almost seems to be a ritual. Shortly after tickets for the Summer Festival go on sale, the Berlin Philharmonic’s concerts are generally sold out. Few other orchestras command such a powerful appeal, and that doesn’t have to do only with its litany of legendary chief conductors. All of the 128 musicians from more than 20 nations who today comprise the “Berliners” are superb virtuosos and masters of their respective instruments. What distinguishes them is a special passion that involves more than “correct” playing. The Australian violinist Stanley Dodds, who serves as the orchestra’s media chairman, spoke not long ago of a “reckless desire to give the utmost. It is one of our hallmarks that we throw ourselves into orchestral playing with lots of energy and risk-taking.” Perhaps historical reasons underlie this profile as well. In any case, it is part of the Philharmonic’s tradition. For this orchestra

56 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

From Bülow to Petrenko: A Survey of the Berlin Philharmonic’s History

The Berlin Philharmonic has been coming to Lucerne since 1958; starting in 1968, its visits have been every year.

was founded 135 years ago, in 1882, as an act of rebellion. At that time, a group of 50 musicians who up to then had belonged to the “Bilse’sche Kapelle” (“Bilse’s Band”) in Berlin abruptly declared independence because they were dissatisfied with their boss and working conditions. They took an enormous economic risk and, as it were, had to play for their lives. The result was that they not only maintained a high-caliber concert series they produced and managed on their own but, from the start, also had to “rent” themselves out to various choruses, conductors, and soloists, and they played in beer gardens to entertain people. And for many years, they even worked during their summer break as a kind of finer spa orchestra in the Dutch seaside resort of Scheveningen. Yet from the beginning, the Berlin Philharmonic was fortunate in its choice of chief conductors, whom the players always decided on for themselves with a democratic vote. The very first figure to helm the orchestra was the famous Hans von Bülow: a brilliant intellectual, a multilingual cosmopolitan, a dazzling pianist, and the most sought-after maestro in the world at the time. He refined each nuance meticulously with his musicians (during almost the first 100 years, they were exclusively male) and guided them to a level of perfection that left audiences simply enraptured. After Bülow’s

The Berlin Philharmonic’s Anniversary Concerts 29 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 12 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Berlin Philharmonic | Kirill Petrenko conductor Strauss Don Juan, Op. 20 | Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 | Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 30 August | 19.30 Symphony Concert 13 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Berlin Philharmonic | Kirill Petrenko conductor | Yuja Wang piano Dukas La Péri ou La Fleur d’immortalité | Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major Op. 26 | Schmidt Symphony No. 4 in C major

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 57

A new era: Kirill Petrenko debuts in Lucerne as the future chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic.

DURING THE HERBERT VON KARAJAN ERA, THE ORCHESTRA BECAME A BESTSELLER, ACQUIRING AN INTERNATIONAL FAN BASE WITH TOURS THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND TO AMERICA AND ASIA.

They laid the foundations for its success story: Hans von Bülow (left) and Arthur Nikisch (right) were the first chief conductors of the Berlin Philharmonic.

death, the Hungarian Arthur Nikisch took on leadership in 1895. He was an instinctive musician who brought smooth, colorful sound and poetry into the spotlight. While Bülow occasionally beat time with grand gestures, Nikisch made his impression with the natural nonchalance of the born aristocrat, which he underscored with corresponding outfits: from the neatly clipped mustache and hair artfully draped to the side through his custom-tailored shirts with extravagant colors and large cuffs to his manicured hands, which he was said to have covered in white makeup before his concerts. 58 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

ASCENT TO WORLD FAME: FURTWÄNGLER AND KARAJAN This sort of external extravagance was utterly foreign to his successor, Wilhelm Furtwängler, the great mystic. From 1922 to 1954, when he held the top position with the “Berliners,” he achieved the feat of making the old and familiar sound completely new. “Conducting means creating freely,” remarked Furtwängler in his diary in 1927, and he noted that a performance that was faithful to the score was merely “the watchword of the sterile, of those who lack imagination.” When he interpreted, say, Beethoven’s Fifth or Ninth Symphony, listeners could come away with the impression that he

was creating them anew, that he was the medium for this music. “There was never even one moment of the unpredictable,” recalled the critic Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt. “You always had to be prepared to be astonished by flashes of genius.” But it is above all to the era of Herbert von Karajan (1955–1989) that the Berlin Philharmonic owes its world fame. The countless recordings that were made during this period turned the orchestra into a bestseller, while it acquired an international fan base through its tours throughout Europe and to America and Asia. Karajan was the first classical music artist to earn coverage even in the tabloids: dynamic, attractive, and successful, he piloted planes as a hobby, raced in cars, and was married to a former photo model from France. As a result of such prominence, Karajan was also able to make business contacts and cultivate monied acquaintances who could finance his projects. And he inspired his music fans with a lean, non-caloric ideal sound. Unburdened by any baggage or edginess, his performances, with their fluid tempi, focused more on the melodic line than on rhythmic conciseness.

Herbert von Karajan rehearsing with the Berlin Philharmonic in Lucerne

NO TITLES, NOT JUST FOR THE ELITE: ABBADO AND RATTLE “The Master”: that’s what Karajan’s musicians reverently called him. What a difference from his successor, Claudio Abbado, who introduced himself right after the orchestral assembly had elected him by saying: “I am Claudio to everybody. No title!” Even in rehearsals, things were now quite different. Abbado spoke little, very little. He understood listening to be more important than speaking and wanted to foster a chamber music-like interaction among the musicians. To him they were not the underlings of an autocratic, dictatorial conductor but partners. With Abbado on the podium, the Berlin Philharmonic opened the KKL Luzern in 1998 – exactly 20 years ago – and they played the very same work with which the orchestra had presented itself for the first time at LUCERNE FESTIVAL four decades earlier, in 1958, under Karajan: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Openness and participation were the Philharmonic’s signature features during the tenure of Sir Simon Rattle (2002–2018). He oversaw an enormous expansion of the repertoire, ranging from Bach and Rameau to the widest variety of present-day compositional trends, whether thorny or more audience-friendly in nature. Under Rattle, the Philharmonic players became just as comfortable with French music, with Scandinavian and Eastern European composers, and even with his own British compatriots Elgar and Britten as they had been with the German tradition. And the circle of audiences who benefited from this continued to widen. Rattle initiated an award-winning education program, introduced free lunch concerts and an open-house day, established the Digital Concert Hall, and had the Berlin Philharmonic spread out to play in other venues in the city, from the Arena in Treptow to Tempelhof Airport. Rattle stood for wide appeal. And for rejecting the image of concert life as an elitist institution. THE TRUTH SEEKER: INTO THE FUTURE WITH KIRILL PETRENKO With Kirill Petrenko, who officially embarks on his tenure as Chief Conductor in 2019 but who will lead their performances in the summer of 2018, the Philharmonic have chosen a tireless truth seeker to guide them. If you’ve ever heard this native Russian on the podium (he was born in 1972), you will

Two More Orchestra Anniversaries In 2018 the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra both celebrate their 100 th birthday. 19 August | 11.00 Symphony Concert 2 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra | Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor | Yefim Bronfman piano Haydn Symphony in F minor, Hob. I:49 La passione | Liszt Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S 125 | Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36

have experienced the heights to which he can inspire his orchestra. And his aura reaches out to the audience, who similarly seem to share in this spirit of elevation. Petrenko concerts are a cult: people make pilgrimages to hear them and are seduced by his interpretations, they celebrate him, and some feel compelled to compare his magical sound to the wizardry of Carlos Kleiber. Yet the power of the feelings that Petrenko elicits is the result of meticulous work. He becomes downright obsessed with preparing for his performances, burying himself in the scores and exploring each detail. It may be that Kirill Petrenko is an “anti-maestro.” He appears shy and modest, yet it is precisely because he is not a self-promoter but wants to serve the music alone that his effect is so powerful. Petrenko has little interest in marketing and no lucrative contract with one of the great labels, nor does he restlessly jet-set around the world from one top orchestra to the next. Which is why he will be exclusively available to the Berlin Philharmonic, giving them his full concentration. And that promises great things: a feast for music. ■ LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 59

Dmitry Sinkovsky & Julia Lezhneva

Easter Festival

Rolando Villazón

Crowd Pleasers and Moments of Spiritual Bliss

The 2018 Easter Festival

n the spring of 2017, Julia Lezhneva, the 28-year-old Russian soprano with the voice of an angel, made her LUCERNE FESTIVAL debut. Now, a year later, she returns − this time as artist-in-residence for two concerts. Together with the no-less-astounding, multitalented Dmitry Sinkovsky, who is a sensational violinist, countertenor, and conductor all in one, she will perform Pergolesi’s moving Stabat Mater. And a few days later, she will present the spectrum of her vocal artistry in a recital spanning a wide range of repertoire, from Vivaldi to Schubert. The 2018 Easter Festival beckons with numerous crowd pleasers. Star tenor Rolando 60 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

Villazón will come to Lucerne with the Iberacademy Orchestra from Medellín, Colombia. Riccardo Chailly and his Filarmonica della Scala have prepared an all-Russian program. Sir András Schiff and the Cappella Andrea Barca will present a concert entirely in C minor featuring works by Bach and Mozart. And for the Festival’s crowning conclusion, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir led by Mariss Jansons have brought with them Beethoven’s C major Mass and Schumann’s Spring Symphony, among other works. You can expect moments of spiritual bliss when Matthias Pintscher leads the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI and the Ensemble inter-

contemporain in a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles: a musical ascent into heaven from the steep rock columns of Bryce Canyon in Utah into the stars, which will also be a visual experience featuring the lighting design of Ann Veronica Janssens. And Anton Bruckner’s Mass in E minor resounds with praise of the divine by a composer who – according to his pupil Franz Schalk – was “a believer without equal.” Another “must” for the Easter season is the master class led by Maestro Bernard Haitink, now being offered for the eighth time. Anyone interested in learning more about the secrets of conducting and the tricks of interpretation should not forego this opportunity. ■

Mariss Jansons

Riccardo Chailly xy 19 March | 19.30 Choral Concert 1 Franziskanerkirche

23 March | 19.30 Symphony Concert 4 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Akademiechor Luzern | Instrumentalists of the Hochschule Luzern – Musik | Ulrike Grosch conductor

Ensemble intercontemporain | Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI | Matthias Pintscher conductor | Ann Veronica Janssens visualization (lighting concept) | soloists

works by Bruckner and Tomasi 20 March | 19.30 Recital − Lied Church Hall MaiHof

Julia Lezhneva soprano | Mikhail Antonenko piano Lieder, arias, and piano pieces by Vivaldi, Handel, J. S. Bach, Porpora, Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, and Schubert 21 − 23 March | always at 10.00 and 15.30 Master Class in Conducting KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall

17 March | 19.30 Opening Concert Hofkirche

La Voce Strumentale | Dmitry Sinkovsky countertenor, violin, and musical direction | Julia Lezhneva soprano works by Geminiani, Vivaldi, and Pergolesi 18 March | 17.00 Symphony Concert 1 Church Hall MaiHof

Festival Strings Lucerne | Students of the master class | Bernard Haitink conductor works by Mozart, Weber, Brahms, Dvořák, and Debussy 21 March | 19.30 Symphony Concert 2 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Filarmonica della Scala | Riccardo Chailly conductor works by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Stravinsky 22 March | 19.30 Symphony Concert 3 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Iberacademy Orchestra, Medellín | Roberto González Monjas concertmaster and musical direction | Fatma Said soprano | Rolando Villazón tenor

Cappella Andrea Barca | Sir András Schiff piano and conductor | Schaghajegh Nosrati piano

works by Mozart and Beethoven

works by J. S. Bach and Mozart

Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles 24 March | 18.30 Choral Concert 2 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra | Mariss Jansons conductor | Denis Matsuev piano works by Schumann, Rachmaninoff, and Bernstein LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 61

Piano Festival

Sir András Schiff

Anything but Routine

The 2018 Piano Festival

o organize a Festival means to offer something extraordinary, something that stands out from the routine. And so we have asked Sir András Schiff to give a pair of recitals at Lucerne’s 2018 Piano Festival: two evenings meant to reveal the entire spectrum of his piano artistry. Schiff is, after all, a master of uncommon programs and deeply probing interpretations. He plans how each work follows the next with careful consideration, even turning to different instruments to match the repertoire in question. He immerses himself to bring out the music’s innermost workings, with loving detail. And, apart from all that,

62 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

he astounds with his physical and mental stamina, which are also extraordinary. Let yourself be surprised! Andreas Haefliger will similarly play the role of a marathoner when he performs two concertos, one each by Mozart and Ravel, in his appearance with the Tonhalle Orchestra. The great Russian master Grigory Sokolov, one of the most charismatic keyboard stars of our time, is also in the lineup. The Festival’s opening program will follow a mystical direction when Igor Levit evokes the wondrous polyphonic worlds of Bach and Shostakovich – and then embarks into the realm of spirits and prophets with works by Schumann, Wagner, and Liszt. The

cult organist Cameron Carpenter will meanwhile play up stark contrasts: how often have you heard Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Howard Hanson’s Second Symphony, famous for its use in the sci-fi film Alien, played side by side? And there’s much more. We look forward to a program of modern music with Nicolas Hodges including three new award-winning works from the 2018 Christoph Delz Competition. In the Debut series, we will introduce you to three highly promising emerging stars: the Chinese Haochen Zhang, the German-Iranian Schaghajegh Nosrati, and the Italian Federico Colli. And we celebrate the Piano Festival’s 20th anniversary with our “Day of the Keyboard.” ■

Igor Levit

Grigory Sokolov

Nicolas Hodges

17 November | 18.30 Recital 1 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Andreas Haefliger

Igor Levit piano 18 November | starting at 11.00 Day of the Keyboard KKL Luzern

“Cueing the Keys − 20 Years of the Piano Festival” 19 November | 19.30 Recital 2 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Sir András Schiff piano 20 November | 19.30 Opening Piano Off-Stage KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall

Opening of Piano Off-Stage, the Festival within the Festival 21 November | 12.15 Debut 1 Lukaskirche

Haochen Zhang piano 21 November | 19.30 Recital 3 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Sir András Schiff piano 22 November | 12.15 Debut 2 Lukaskirche

Schaghajegh Nosrati piano Cameron Carpenter

22 November | 19.30 Recital 4 KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Grigory Sokolov piano 23 November | 12.15 Debut 3 Lukaskirche

Federico Colli piano 23 November | 19.30 Recital 5 − Organ KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Cameron Carpenter organ 24 November | 11.00 Recital 6 Lukaskirche

Nicolas Hodges piano 24 November | 18.30 Piano Concert KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich | Donald Runnicles conductor | Andreas Haefliger piano 25 November | 17.00 Final Concert KKL Luzern, Concert Hall The performers will be announced at a later date.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 63

My Lucerne

“A Magical Impression” Music, museums, and a painterly environment: Lucerne offers cultural and natural experiences galore. Festival Director Michael Haefliger and his wife Andrea Loetscher talk about what makes Lucerne so distinctive for them. Mr. Haefliger, you have known Lucerne since you were a child … Michael Haefliger: Yes, we accompanied my father, the tenor Ernst Haefliger, when he performed at the Festival. The beautiful city, the lake, the mountains − it all made a magical impression, one that left a strong mark on me. It was the beginning of a close internal relationship with Lucerne. 64 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

What was your first encounter with Lucerne, Ms. Loetscher? Andrea Loetscher: My uncle owns a house in nearby Weggis where I spent many summers as a child. There was a diving board into Lake Lucerne, and I learned how to swim there. Lucerne is not only a music city but also offers a wide variety of cultural events

beyond music. What comes to mind first for you? Andrea Loetscher: The many museums. The Sammlung Rosengart with works by Picasso, Klee, and Miró, for example, the Kunstmuseum Lucerne, and the Swiss Museum of Transport, a fascinating museum of technology. Or the Bourbaki with its fine film screenings and an historic panorama in the round.

Michael Haefliger: Also a stroll through the Old City with its narrow streets is a good way to get started, of course making sure to walk across Lucerne’s landmark, the wooden Kapellbrücke: that is an absolute must.

What should a visitor to Lucerne make sure to pack in their luggage? Michael Haefliger: Tolstoy’s story Lucerne, which is best read in the Hotel Schweizerhof, because it largely takes place there. Andrea Loetscher: And of course bathing suits. In summer there’s nothing more refreshing than swimming in Lake Lucerne – with its breathtaking backdrop. And what should visitors do first of all, when they arrive in Lucerne? Andrea Loetscher: Head right to the Lake! Or I recommend a boat tour.

What is not to be missed? Michael Haefliger: Apart from LUCERNE FESTIVAL? At least once in a lifetime, you should experience the wild Lucerne Carnival (“Fasnacht”). What is there to do after the concert? Michael Haefliger: Lucerne offers many possibilities, for example, the Seebar in the KKL: it’s close by, and you can meet many artists here who have just come from performing on the stage. Andrea Loetscher: The Louis Bar in Hotel Montana is nice, with regular jazz concerts − and with the loveliest view over Lake Lucerne. Lucerne is surrounded by nature. Where do you like to go to unwind from everyday life?

Michael Haefliger: For example, to scenic Vitznau, directly on the Lake. But an excursion into the mountains, to Rigi or Pilatus, is also worthwhile. Andrea Loetscher: Or an evening stroll along the Reuss: all the lights and the people sitting in the open air – the feeling is almost Mediterranean. Is there a special place you haven’t mentioned yet? Michael Haefliger: The marvelous Lucerne churches. The Matthäuskirche is where Richard and Cosima Wagner got married in August 1870. Along with the Jesuitenkirche and the Hofkirche, I especially like the intimacy of the Franziskanerkirche. Indeed, Lucerne’s musical culture arose long ago in the churches. What do you miss the most when you aren’t in Lucerne? Andrea Loetscher: A feeling of being at home. Michael Haefliger: And the feeling of the lake. Simply put, Lake Lucerne influences life in Lucerne, you always have it in view. ■ LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 65

Looking Ahead to a New Year of Music Our Subscription Series for the 2018 Summer Festival LUCERNE FESTIVAL – it’s all about unforgettable concert experiences in a unique festival atmosphere. Once again, for the 2018 Summer Festival, you can choose from among several attractive subscription series: Whether you are music-loving regular guests or first-time visitors who would like to get a taste of Lucerne, whether you’re on a short vacation or are traveling from all over the world – we’ve put together something to match everyone’s taste. Your benefits as a subscriber: You can order during the pre-booking period until mid-February to make sure you have tickets to the events of your choice before public ticket sales officially begin. Other benefits include free program booklets for your concerts and a loyalty bonus. You can find detailed information about our subscription series in the concert calendar on p. 16.

Your Choice of 3 or 5 Concerts

Enjoy All Three Programs

World-famous orchestras and conductors, virtuoso soloists: make sure you have your tickets well in advance for the highlights of the 2018 Summer Festival – tailored just to your own tastes.

Do you love the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA? Then make sure to reserve your tickets for all three Summer 2018 programs with Riccardo Chailly.

Summer Choice Subscription

Detailed information in the concert calendar on p. 17.

Detailed information in the concert calendar on p. 19.

Four Weekends Full of Music

Experience Seven Days of the Festival

Would you like to get a taste of the Festival atmosphere and plan a short trip to the Lake Lucerne region? Indulge yourself with an unforgettable weekend: we’ve put together a wonderfully varied package of concerts for you to enjoy.

For genuine fans: arrange your own, personally tailored weeklong series with a minimum of five concerts within seven consecutive days. All the music you can take!

Weekend Packages

Detailed information in the concert calendar on p. 18.

66 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Complete

Weeklong Series

Detailed information in the concert calendar on p. 19.

Subscriptions & Ticket Sales

How To Get Your Tickets Information on Ordering Tickets Dates for Ticket Sales

Easter Festival | 17 – 25 March 2018 Online ticket sales begin on Mail and fax sales begin on Telephone sales begin on

13 November 2017, 12.00 noon 15 November 2017 17 November 2017, Mon – Fri from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm

Summer Festival | 11 August – 10 September 2018 Online ticket sales begin on Mail and fax sales begin on Telephone sales begin on

5 March 2018, 12.00 noon 8 March 2018 15 March 2018, Mon – Fri from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm

Piano Festival | 17 – 25 November 2018 Online ticket sales begin on Mail and fax sales begin on Telephone sales begin on

6 August 2018, 12.00 noon 8 August 2018 13 August 2018, Mon – Fri from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm

Ticket Sales Throughout the Year – Across Switzerland

With the beginning of online sales (always starting at 12.00 noon Swiss time) you can also obtain your concert tickets for the Festival in question in person from our off-site sales outlets. Please find the addresses of our ticket outlets throughout Switzerland on the concert calendar on p. 22.

We’re also available at each venue! During the Festival

Whenever the Festival is in progress (starting 21 March for the 2018 Easter Festival), you can purchase tickets for other events at that festival as well as the next upcoming festival, daily from 10.00 am until the end of the evening concert’s intermission, by visiting the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ticket window at the main entrance to the KKL Luzern (on the lake side). If you decide to attend a concert at the last minute, you can purchase tickets shortly before the concert begins directly at the venue where it takes place. There you can also pick up your tickets that were pre-ordered and already prepaid. Tickets and Information

LUCERNE FESTIVAL Ticketing & Visitor Information | 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

Discounted Tickets for Students and KulturLegi Holders

University students, students, vocational students, and JTC members up to the age of 29 as well as KulturLegi holders may purchase tickets for CHF 20 starting an hour before the beginning of the concert for events which are not sold out. Special student offers can be found at lucernefestival.ch/students. We hope to get young people interested in classical music through our special “Bring Young Listeners to the Concert” offer: for selected concerts you can additionally bring a child or youth up to 17 years of age as your concert companion for free. Please note this offer pertains only to tickets in price categories I-III.

Wheelchair Spaces

The main concert hall of the KKL Lucerne has six wheelchair spaces available on special terms. Wheelchair spaces are also available at the other event locations. You can find further information in the concert calendar on p. 21. Our staff members from Visitor Services are happy to advise when you are ordering tickets!

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 67

2018 SUMMER FESTIVAL WORLD CLASS, DAY AFTER DAY

↓

N W

How To Find Us Information about Getting There

Arrival via Bus and Train: Your concert ticket is also valid as a travel ticket! 2

Se ep ro m

Lö

Löwenplatz

t r.

A lp

Ins

Bahnhofplatz

Ze ntr als tr. r. ns t r te rg a o LK M

atu sst 5

tts

elr

ied

. str

sst r.

rab

li g a s

eng

Röss

L öw

Arrival via Car

t r.

atu

er s

Pil

rba

nk Wi

t r.

. str

ess

rs Hi

t r. er s

Sem

sch

eng

rab

erg

run

dst

Obergrund str.

en Br

t r.

B a s e ls

tr.

Hir

Venues

This special ticket must be purchased at a Swiss Rail ticket counter, by calling the Rail Service line at 0900 300 300 (CHF 1.19/minute in the Swiss telephone network), or online at the SBB ticket shop (sbb.ch/lucernefestival) before beginning your trip.

Bundesplatz Bu

Altstadt

r te

Ba hn ho fst r.

Schwanenplatz

Bahnhof

Pil

↓

Se eb rü ck

KKL | C | FK | HK | I | JK | KM | LK | LT | M | MH | MK | N | S |

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. (The concert ticket must be presented to the inspector on the train.) With the half-fare card, the trip will cost only 30% of the full fare.

t r.

KKL

t r.

s en

eli

KKL Luzern, Europaplatz 1, Luzern Casineum, Haldenstrasse 6, Luzern Franziskanerkirche, Franziskanerplatz, Luzern Hofkirche, St. Leodegarstrasse 6, Luzern Inseli Jesuitenkirche, Bahnhofstrasse 11a, Luzern Kunstmuseum, Europaplatz, Luzern Lukaskirche, Morgartenstrasse 16, Luzern Luzerner Theater, Theaterstrasse 2, Luzern Maskenliebhabersaal, Süesswinkel 7, Luzern Kirchensaal MaiHof, Weggismattstrasse 9, Luzern Matthäuskirche, Hertensteinstrasse 30, Luzern Neubad, Bireggstrasse 36, Luzern Südpol, Arsenalstrasse 28, Kriens (Bus no. 14 from the main train station) | Pavillon Tribschenhorn, Richard-Wagner-Weg 17, Luzern (Bus nos. 6/7/8)

↓↓

lin

en ad e

↓

n st r.

See

↓

H a ld e 6

Free rides within the Passepartout System When you visit the Festival you can travel in Lucerne for free: Your concert ticket may also be used on the day of the performance for a free ride to and from the venue within the Passepartout-Zone 10 (2nd class). Valid from 3 hours before the start and up to 3 hours after the end of the performance.

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 in 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

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 69

LUCERNE FESTIVAL thanks its Main Sponsors, its Theme Sponsor, and its Concert Sponsors for 2018 for their valued commitment. Main Sponsors

Developing associated, content-rich projects in collaboration with leading partners from the business world is a special goal of LUCERNE FESTIVAL. As Main Sponsors, these companies enter into a long-term partnership with the Festival in order to promote the development and implementation of individual artistic concepts. Credit Suisse makes the annual orchestral residency of the Vienna Philharmonic possible. In addition, the Credit Suisse Foundation is dedicated to supporting emerging artists through two awards devoted to the next generation of artists, which are granted annually on an alternating basis: the Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes and the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award. Nestle S.A. is committed to the ambitious idea of a unique Festival orchestra and makes the annual residency of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA possible through its contributions. Roche is a committed partner of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY and grants composition commissions in alternating years as part of the “Roche Commissions” and the “Roche Young Commissions.” The resulting new works are given their premieres as part of the Summer Festival. 70 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

The Adecco Group has been a Main Sponsor of the Summer Festival since 2017. It additionally supports the increase in the Festival’s international presence, especially the activities of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA in Asia, thus enhancing the worldwide reputation of the Festival. Zurich Insurance Company Ltd (Zurich) has made it a primary goal to enable access to classical music for a broad public. The free “40min” concert series underscores this commitment with numerous events in the Lucerne Hall. Theme Sponsor LUCERNE FESTIVAL traditionally focuses each summer on a general theme that shapes the programming and choice of works. For 2018 this theme is “Childhood.” The focus is on composers who have dealt intensively with children and with childhood, whose works take on child-related themes and evoke the poetry of childhood – but also on numerous projects that are specifically aimed at children and that spotlight the audience of tomorrow. Vontobel supports LUCERNE FESTIVAL as Theme Sponsor.

Partners

The Partners of LUCERNE FESTIVAL Easter Festival Main Sponsor Summer Festival Main Sponsors

Theme Sponsor Concert Sponsors

Clariant | Franke | KPMG AG

Piano Festival Concert Sponsor

Julius Baer

We would be happy to personally discuss with you the various opportunities for sponsoring partnership and to prepare a proposal special tailored to your needs. Contact

Martina LĂśtscher Head of Sponsorship Hirschmattstrasse 13 P.O. Box | CHâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;6002 Luzern t +41 (0)41 226 44 57 m.loetscher@lucernefestival.ch

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 71

The Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL

Ambassadors for the Festival

The Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL What should we call them? An exclusive club? Or perhaps better: an international network? Or simply the ambassadors for LUCERNE FESTIVAL? All of these descriptions are perfectly apt for the Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL, which currently comprises about 500 members. Since its founding in 1966, the Foundation has made supporting the work of one of the world’s most renowned classical music festivals its goal – both moral and financial support.

nd this support is of incalculable value for LUCERNE FESTIVAL. The contributions made by the Friends amount to approximately 8% of the total budget, thereby contributing significantly to the Festival’s financial security and sustainability. Through their efforts, the Friends are not only concerned with promoting the Festival today, they also hope to create a sustainable basis for artistic creativ72 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

ity in the future by supporting such innovative and pioneering projects as the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY and LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG. Thus the Friends have developed into the biggest sponsors of the Festival and into an indispensable partner. It’s nothing but an advantage to be involved in the Friends, for membership offers numerous benefits as well. As a member you belong to the Festival’s “inner circle,” which gives you an opportunity to

see what goes on behind the scenes and to deepen your musical experience through such exclusive events as artist interviews and visits to rehearsals. You additionally have a chance to socialize with an interesting and international array of like-minded people. And on top of this you get access to advance ticket sales for all events as well as to the Festival lounge, and you are cordially invited to take part in the music trips led by the Friends.

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.

YOU, TOO, CAN BECOME A FESTIVAL AMBASSADOR! We would be very happy to tell you more about the opportunities and benefits of the Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL.

Contact Valentina Rota Executive Director Foundation Friends of LUCERNE FESTIVAL International Private Fundraising Hirschmattstrasse 13 P.O. Box | CH–6002 Luzern t +41 (0)41 226 44 52 f +41 (0)41 226 44 60 v.rota@lucernefestival.ch LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

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 Editorial | Susanne Stähr (conception and leadership), Malte Lohmann (head of production) English Language Editor and Translator | Thomas May Art and Design | Isabelle Gargiulo Typesetting and Composition | Jason Planzer, Isabelle Gargiulo Advertising | Bettina Jaggi Printing | Engelberger Druck AG, Stans

Text Credits All of the texts were originally written for this magazine. Image Credits p. 1, 5 (center), and 20/21: photos Julia Wesley − p. 3, 19 (right), and 55 (bottom): photos Marco Borggreve − p. 5 (top left), 6/7, 8 (top), 9, 12, 13 (top), 23 (center and right), 44/45 (top and bottom), 52 (top), and 60/61: photos Peter Fischli/LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 5 (top right), 14/15, 16 (center and bottom), 17, and 18: Archives of the Stockhausen Foundation for Music, Kürten – p. 5 (bottom left), 22 (left), 24, 26, 44, 46, 52 (bottom), 61 (right), and 63 (top left, center right, and bottom): photos Priska Ketterer/LUCERNE FESTIVAL − p. 8 (bottom), 47, 54 (top and bottom), 62, 72, and 73 (top and bottom): photos Manuela Jans/LUCERNE FESTIVAL − p. 10/11, 30 (top), and 50: photos Stefan Deuber/ LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 13 (center), 30 (bottom), 39, and 59: LUCERNE FESTIVAL archive – p. 16 (top): Josef Häusler (ed.), Pierre Boulez in Salzburg, 1995 Festival − p. 19 (left), 27, 31, and 66: photos Georg Anderhub/LUCERNE FESTIVAL – p. 28/29: photo Hugh Glendinning – p. 32: photo Ranald Mackechnie − p. 36: International Mozarteum Foundation, Salzburg – p. 38 (top): Bodleian Library, Oxford − p. 38 (bottom): Daniel Barenboim, Die Musik − mein Leben, Berlin 2004 – p. 40 (top left and center): Society of Friends of Music, Vienna – p. 40 (top right): photo Alex Nightingale − p. 43: photo Anouk Antony – p. 48/49: with kind permission of the artists – p. 51 (top): photo Stas Levshin – p. 51 (bottom): photo Enrique Pardo – p. 53 (top): photo LAPhil/Vern Evans – p. 55 (top): photo Uwe Arens – p. 56/57: photo Stefan Höderath – p. 58 (top): photo Monika Rittershaus − p. 58 (center left and right): aristophot, Leipzig – p. 60 (left): photo Harald Hoffmann − p. 61 (center): photo Luca Piva − p. 63 (top right): photo Mary Slepkova – p. 63 (center left): photo Eric Richmond – p. 64: photo Emanuel Ammon/AURA – p. 65: Luzern Tourismus − p. 70: photo Patrick Huerlimann/LUCERNE FESTIVAL We have made every effort to research ownership but have been unable to identify all rights holders to the images. Please report any valid claims to the editors. This magazine was published in October 2017 and is subject to alteration without prior notice. Printed prices are subject to correction.

This printed material has been prepared using a sustainable and carbon-neutral process according to the guidelines of FSC and ClimatePartner. Printed in Switzerland | © 2017 by LUCERNE FESTIVAL 74 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL

LUCERNE FESTIVAL GOES DIGITAL Immerse yourself in the colorful world of the Festival: interviews with the great conductors and soloists of our time, live concert broadcasts, and much more – it’s all just a click away! Follow us on #lucernefestival @lucernefestival

lucernefestival.ch

LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL 76

Main Sponsors

lucernefestival.ch

75 LUCERNE FESTIVAL | 2018 ANNUAL