Lucerne
Summer Festival
From 3 September to 6 September 2026
Type of stay

Musical journeys

Availability

Inscriptions ouvertes

Price

From €4,320 per person

Lucerne enchants, Lucerne captivates, Lucerne bewitches. The setting is exceptional: a radiant lake framed by fairy-tale mountains on the horizon. A singular gentleness of life pervades the city. The winding streets of the medieval centre invite unhurried wandering, while the quality of its gastronomy and hospitality leaves a lasting impression.

 

At summer’s end, the world’s finest musicians gather in this refined Swiss city. Within the remarkable acoustics of the KKL, designed by Jean Nouvel, our stay presents a dazzling constellation of soloists. The admirable Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra offers two programmes: the first alongside the French pianist Alexandre Kantorow, the new sovereign of the keyboard; the second with the celebrated German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. In addition to a late-night concert with violinist Augustin Hadelich, it is a particular pleasure to welcome the Vienna Philharmonic under Tugan Sokhiev in Mahler’s sublime ‘Titan’ Symphony. Fortunate, indeed, is the traveller who has journeyed to Lucerne. Welcome to paradise.

 

 

Credit photo : Wiener Philharmoniker (c) Julia Wesely

The program
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra | Manfred Honeck | Alexandre Kantorow
Thursday 3 September 2026
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra | Manfred Honeck | Anne-Sophie Mutter
Friday 4 September 2026
Vienna Philharmonic | Tugan Sokhiev
Saturday 5 September 2026
Augustin Hadelich | Mark O'Connor | Maggie O'Connor
Sunday 6 September 2026
THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2026

Independent arrival in Lucerne.
Independent transfer and check-in at your hotel.

 

7.30 p.m., at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall:

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA |
MANFRED HONECK | ALEXANDRE KANTOROW

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Manfred Honeck

 

Conductor

 

Alexandre Kantorow

 

Piano

 

Programme:

– J. Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, op. 15;

– D. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 47.

 

In 2019, Alexandre Kantorow was awarded the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, becoming the first French musician to win this prestigious distinction. Since then, the new sovereign of the piano has established himself on the world’s foremost stages, with a particular affinity for Brahms. Here he performs the Austrian composer’s First Concerto, a deeply veiled declaration of love to Clara Schumann, for whom Brahms harboured profound devotion. In the second half, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted for seventeen years by Manfred Honeck – a partnership emblematic of remarkable artistic unity – performs another work of concealed intensity. Although Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony remains the most celebrated of his symphonic works, its composition in 1937 cannot be separated from the terror of the Stalinist purges. An evening of compelling depth.

 

FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2026

7.30 p.m., at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall:

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA |

MANFRED HONECK|ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Manfred Honeck

 

Conductor

 

Anne-Sophie Mutter

 

Violon

 

Programme:

– J. Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine;

– K. Penderecki: Violin Concerto No. 2 ‘Metamorphosen’;

– A. Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ‘From the New World’.

 

From early childhood, Anne-Sophie Mutter’s career has known no eclipse. Discovered at thirteen by Herbert von Karajan, the German violinist has continually renewed her exploration of sound and repertoire. Deeply committed to contemporary creation, she regularly commissions composers of our time. Completed in 1995, Penderecki’s Second Violin Concerto stands among the most accomplished works she has inspired. In this score of ardent Romanticism, she illuminates its melodic lines and profound humanity. Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony, an exultant ode to vast American landscapes, carries the listener in a whirlwind of intoxicating melody and rhythm. Under Manfred Honeck, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra reaffirms its place among the foremost American orchestras.
SATURDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2026

6.30 p.m., at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall:

VIENNA PHILHARMONIC | TUGAN SOKHIEV

Vienna Philharmonic
Tugan Sokhiev

 

Conductor

 

Programme:

– W. A. Mozart: Symphony in G minor, K. 183;

– G. Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major ‘Titan’.

 

Composed in 1773, Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 is a work of striking youthful mastery. At seventeen, the Austrian composer achieved a bold statement of dramatic intensity. The rare key of G minor heralds the emotional turbulence of Sturm und Drang. At the end of his life, Mozart would recall this ‘little’ symphony in writing the majestic Symphony No. 40. Adored in Toulouse, where he served as Music Director for fifteen years, Tugan Sokhiev conducts another symphony of youth. Yet in Mahler’s First Symphony, with its springtime calls, folk melodies and elemental force, the composer’s entire universe already unfolds. The Vienna Philharmonic knows this music as perhaps no other orchestra in the world.

 

 

 

 

10 p.m., at KKL Luzern, Lucerne Hall:

AUGUSTIN HADELICH | MARK O’CONNOR |
MAGGIE O’CONNOR

Augustin Hadelich Violin
Maggie O’Connor Violin
Mark O’Connor

 

Violin, guitar and mandolin

 

Programme to be announced.

 

Augustin Hadelich has emerged as one of the most vibrant American violinists of his generation, distinguished by impeccable technique and purity of tone. His life bears witness to extraordinary resilience: severely injured in a fire at his family home, he temporarily abandoned the violin before returning to win the 2006 Indianapolis Violin Competition. His presence at the Lucerne Festival promises an evening of luminous surprise.
Your Accommodation
SCHWEIZERHOF *****

The Schweizerhof Lucerne stands facing Lake Lucerne in a rare position that unites the Alpine panorama with immediate proximity to the Old Town. A short walk from the Konzertsaal, it provides an ideal anchor for a musical stay, combining historic elegance with contemporary comfort. The lake-facing rooms selected extend the experience through generous light and an uninterrupted dialogue with water and mountains.

Price per person
Package in double Lifestyle Living Suite

€4,320 per person

 

The price includes: accommodation in a double room with breakfast for three nights • city tax • concert tickets • repatriation assistance.

The price does not include: personal expenses • transport • airport transfers.

 

Individual stay.

Transport and transfers upon request.

Package in double Lifestyle Living Suite for single occupancy

€6,640 per person

 

The price includes: accommodation in a double room with breakfast for three nights • city tax • concert tickets • repatriation assistance.

The price does not include: personal expenses • transport • airport transfers.

 

Individual stay.

Transport and transfers upon request.

Information about this trip
In charge of the destination
Pauline Heckly
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