Celebrate classical music

The Festival takes place four times throughout the year. The highlight is the nearly five-week-long Summer Festival with more than 100 events in August and September, ranging from solo recitals to symphony concerts, experimental performances to open-air appearances by various world music groups throughout the city. At the smaller Spring Festival, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra spotlights a particular composer each year. In early May, the extraordinary pianist Igor Levit curates Piano Fest, which spans the spectrum from classical music to jazz. And at Lucerne Festival Forward in November, the young members of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) focus on the music of our time and explore connections with other art forms.

Lucerne Festival is the orchestra festival par excellence: nowhere else can you experience – and compare – so many top international orchestras, one right after the other. Each evening features a different major player from the international music scene. Regular guests include the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from Amsterdam, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the big five orchestras from the USA, and many more …

From the moment you hear them play, it’s clear this orchestra has no parallel. World-class soloists and chamber musicians, renowned music teachers and section leaders of top European orchestras all join together as the Lucerne Festival Orchestra for the sheer pleasure and joy of making music – free of routine responsibilities, but as intensively as if their lives were at stake. This orchestra de luxe was founded by the legendary Claudio Abbado and has been led by Riccardo Chailly since 2016.

They are young and eager to experiment: more than 100 talented musicians from all over the world arrive in Lucerne every summer, full of curiosity and ready to focus on the new – the sounds of the 20th and 21st centuries – at the Lucerne Festival Academy. Founded 20 years ago by Michael Haefliger and Pierre Boulez, this unique master school for contemporary music offers thrilling musical discoveries to its audiences. Lucerne Festival has an open ear when it comes to contemporary music: through its annual composers-in-residence, numerous world premieres, and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO).

What do violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and cellist Sol Gabetta have in common? Both were discovered at Lucerne and launched their international careers here. Lucerne Festival promotes outstanding young artists through its Debut concert series and prestigious prizes. Performances each year by international youth orchestras provide a fresh overture to the Summer Festival. In addition, special programmes aimed at
children and families show that classical music is not just for grown-ups.

Lucerne Festival was founded in 1938 as an alternative to the Salzburg Festival, where Jewish artists were banned from performing after the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. As a result, Arturo Toscanini, the most famous conductor of the time, decided to cancel his performance in Salzburg in protest. When the opportunity arose, he did not hesitate to come to Lucerne, where an elite orchestra comprising handpicked soloists and outstanding orchestral musicians was organised for him. The gala concert held in front of Richard Wagner’s villa, at which Toscanini led this ensemble, is regarded as the moment when Lucerne Festival officially began.

Its picturesque surroundings generate a unique festival atmosphere: nestled between the lake and mountains, Lucerne offers attractive excursion options. At the same time, the historic Old City’s evocative alleyways and prominent sights make it perfect for a stroll. Lucerne also boasts first-class museums, including the Rosengart Collection featuring works by Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee, the Lucerne Art Museum, the Swiss Museum of Transport, and the Richard Wagner Museum in Tribschen.

MORE INFORMATION
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Words Malte Lohmann and Thomas May