The Berliner Philharmoniker have been a regular festival guest in Lucerne since 1958 performing much acclaimed concerts every year. In 2014, the orchestra completed their cycle “Moving to Modern Times” under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle with Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird”, set to gorgeous, scintillatingly colorful ballet music in 1909-10. Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker paired this lush score of oriental lyricism with another masterpiece of the Russian late romanticism: Sergei Rachmaninov’s rousing Symphonic Dances, which likewise escorted listeners into a magical realm of fantasy and “made the Russian soul dance, too.” (Der Spiegel) – PROGRAM: Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances, op. 45; Stravinsky: The Firebird. Fairy-tale ballet in two tableaux for orchestra. (Cat. No. UNITEL: A955500050000)
Hayato Sumino – Live from Suntory Hall, Tokyo
He is probably the most exciting representative of the current pianist scene: Hayato Sumino inspires with his phenomenal virtuosity and infectious joy of playing, his concert tours are sold out worldwide. In his unique style, Sumino combines classical technique with great talent for arrangement and improvisation, bringing a fresh and innovative approach to piano music. The 30-year-old Japanese musician is not only causing a stir with classical works. Under the name “Cateen”, he is also a YouTube star with 1.5 million subscribers with his own compositions and arrangements, and is inspiring a steadily growing online fan base for his art. Of his numerous competition successes and awards, the most recent is the Leonard Bernstein Award 2025 from the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. This program is a recording of Hayato Sumino’s concert at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. With music ranging from J.S. Bach to Hans Zimmer and from Chopin to his own compositions, the exceptional artist once again demonstrates his impressive versatility and virtuosity.