At 7:30pm, at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall:

LANG LANG

Lang Lang – Piano

– G. Fauré, Pavane in F-sharp minor, Op. 50

– R. Schumann, Kreisleriana, op. 16

– F. Chopin, Mazurka Series

Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44

Lang Lang is one of the world’s most celebrated virtuosos. At 42, the Chinese pianist has nothing left to prove, yet the programme he presents at the Lucerne Festival is highly ambitious. As well as Fauré’s delicate Pavane (best known in its orchestral version), the musician takes on three monuments of the repertoire. First of all, Schumann’s Kreisleriana (dedicated to Chopin), a feverish testimony to Robert’s love for his young fiancée Clara, followed by a selection of Mazurkas that Chopin composed throughout his life. The grandiose Polonaise op.44 concludes this exceptionally romantic recital.

At 6:30pm, at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall :

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, by G. Rossini

Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco

Gianluca Capuano : Conductor

Edgardo Rocha : Count of Almaviva

Cecilia Bartoli : Rosina

Ildebrando d’Arcangelo : Don Basilio

Peter Kálmán : Don Bartolo

Nicola Alaimo : Figaro

Caterina Di Tonno : Berta

The Barber of Seville is one of the most exciting works in the repertoire. Composed in a fortnight, it is the work of a twenty-four-year-old artist, who is already working on his seventeenth opera! A masterpiece of humour and virtuosity, the opera combines the charm of Rossini’s music with the verve of Beaumarchais’s characters. Performed here in a concert version, the opera benefits from extraordinary talent in Lucerne. In addition to Ildebrando d’Arcangelo‘s marvellous Basilio, the cast includes the Sicilian Nicola Alaimo as Figaro. And Cecilia Bartoli‘s dramatic and vocal genius in this kind of droll opera needs no introduction. An evening to be savoured like a vintage glass of champagne!

At 7:30pm, at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall:

LUCERNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | M. SANDERLING | D. LOZAKOVICH

Lucerne Symphony Orchestra

Michael Sanderling : Conductor

Daniel Lozakovich : Violin

– J. Sibelius, Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47

– P. I. Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36

Built by Jean Nouvel, Lucerne’s Palace of Congress and Culture (KKL in German) is a splendid venue. Home to the city’s Festival, the KKL is also the permanent home of the remarkable Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, led by its musical director Michael Sanderling. Tonight, the Swiss ensemble plays a superb programme of Nordic Romanticism in loco. The absolute jewel of the instrument, Sibelius’s Violin Concerto captivates us with its fragile grace, warm light and gentle melancholy. Child prodigy come of age, the Swedish Daniel Lozakovich knows this masterpiece like no other. Quite logically (Sibelius’s first symphony is often regarded as the worthy heir to Tchaikovsky’s), the concert continues with the Russian composer’s Symphony No. 4, a dazzling testament to the famous ‘Russian soul’.

À 18h30, au KKL Luzern, Concert Hall :

LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | SIR SIMON RATTLE

Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Sir Simon Rattle : Conductor

Clay Hilley : Tenor

Magdalena Kožená : Mezzo-soprano

– D. Shostakovich, Sypmphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10

– G. Mahler, The song of the Earth

You might have thought that after twenty years at the helm of the legendary Berlin Philharmonic, Simon Rattle would be taking a well-deserved musical retirement. Not so: after presiding over the London Symphony Orchestra, he is now conducting the prestigious Bavarian Radio Orchestra and producing a host of astonishing concerts. In Lucerne, he leads the Festival Orchestra in extreme works. On the one hand, the turbulent Symphony No. 1 by Shostakovich, written at the age of 19; on the other, the crepuscular Song of the Earth, in which Gustav Mahler touches on eternity. Tenor Clay Hilley and mezzo Magdalena Kožená (Rattle’s wife) perform this sublime cycle of songs for orchestra.

At 6:30pm, at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall :

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA | V. PETRENKO | A.-S. MUTTER

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko : Conductor

Anne-Sophie Mutter : Violin

– E. W. Korngold, Main Theme, Reunion, and Finale from the film score to The Sea Hawk

– J. Williams, Scherzo for Motorcycle and Violin from the film score to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Helena’s Theme from the film score to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Hedwig’s Theme from the film score to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Love Theme from the film score to Cinderella Liberty The Duel from the film score to The Adventures of Tintin

– N. Rimski-Korsakov, Scheherazade. Symphonic Suite based on A Thousand and One Nights, Op. 35

This concert retraces a period of musical history. The Second World War led to a mass exodus of German Jewish composers. To earn a living, Erich Korngold, a child prodigy in 1910s Vienna, wrote scores for the cinema, profoundly changing the face of Hollywood music. Thanks to Korngold, American films were adorned with a sumptuously orchestrated score that continues to this day thanks to John Williams, the legendary composer of Steven Spielberg’s films. Performed by classical soloists such as violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, Williams’ music is one of the most popular works of our time. Conducted by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko concludes this programme with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, an unsurpassable orientalist summit. Listening to this masterpiece inspired by the Arabian Nights is like leafing through a book of marvellous images.