A program of rich colors and late-Romantic intensity unfolds as Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra open the evening with Scriabin’s shimmering Rêverie, a brief yet atmospheric sound vision. Rising star Lukas Sternath then performs Sergei Rachmaninoff’s rarely heard Piano Concerto No. 4, presented in the composer’s 1941 revision, where virtuosity, modern clarity, and lyrical depth find a remarkable balance. After the interval, the orchestra explores the dramatic world of Rachmaninoff’s opera Aleko through a selection of orchestral scenes full of passion, contrast, and dance. The concert concludes with Ottorino Respighi’s brilliant orchestrations of Rachmaninoff’s Cinq Études-Tableaux, transforming the piano pieces into vivid symphonic landscapes.
Lucerne Festival 2026: Opening Concert with Riccardo Chailly
The Lucerne Festival launches its 2026 summer season with a program celebrating the breadth of American music. Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra pair the vibrant sound world of George Gershwin with the early symphonic voice of Charles Ives. Gershwin’s Cuban Overture sets a spirited opening, alive with rhythmic drive and Caribbean color. Pianist Frank Dupree then brings his versatility to the Concerto in F major, where Gershwin seamlessly fuses the pulse of jazz with classical structure, culminating in a sparkling, high-energy finale. After the interval comes a shift in tone with Ives’s Symphony No. 1 in D minor, a work rooted in the late-Romantic tradition yet already hinting at the originality that would define his later music. Its lush orchestral writing and subtle surprises offer a compelling counterpart to Gershwin’s urban flair. Together, these works form an opening night that blends vitality, virtuosity, and the spirit of discovery—an ideal start to the Festival’s summer season.
Yulianna Avdeeva, Petr Popelka & Wiener Symphoniker
Two key works of the Romantic era are performed at the Vienna Konzerthaus: Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 and Franz Schubert’s ‘Great’ Symphony in C major. On stage are the Vienna Symphony Orchestra with their principal conductor, Petr Popelka. Both works combine grand forms, inner dignity and musical expressiveness. Johannes Brahms, who made Vienna his home, also engaged deeply with the musical legacy of Franz Schubert. Brahms spent the last 25 years of his life in Vienna, living on Karlsgasse, not far from the Vienna Konzerthaus. It is here that Yulianna Avdeeva, winner of the 2010 International Chopin Competition, now shines in Brahms’s First Piano Concerto in D minor.
Grafenegg: Midsummer Night’s Gala 2026
The Midsummer Night’s Gala at Grafenegg is one of Austria’s most beautiful musical traditions. Opening the season, the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich and chief conductor Fabien Gabel present a magnificent, varied programme. Two opera stars make their Grafenegg debuts: US soprano Angel Blue, whose voice fills the world’s great stages, and Ukrainian-born lyric tenor Bogdan Volkov, nominated for the 2025 Austrian Music Theater Prize. Salzburg cellist Julia Hagen adds virtuoso brilliance and a refined ear for timbre. Orchestral splendour, arias, duets and concertante works—delivered with humour and enthusiasm—provide a fitting prelude to the anniversary summer at the Wolkenturm.
Martha Argerich, Silvain Cambreling & Symphoniker Hamburg
She is a legendary pianist, a ‘lioness at the piano’, renowned for her spirited playing: Martha Argerich is the protagonist of the ‘Martha Argerich Festival’, named after her, which will took place for the eighth time in 2026. Alongside conductor Sylvain Cambreling and the Symphoniker Hamburg, Argerich presents a programme focused on dialogue. The first part highlights one of the most beloved piano concertos of all time, the Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major by Beethoven. In the second, the orchestra showcases the full range of its sound with the Concerto for Orchestra by Bartók, a work where each instrumental section has the chance to show its virtuosity.
Verdi Requiem from Barcelona
Verdi’s monumental Messa da Requiem, the most spectacularly operatic of sacred music works, shakes the walls of Barcelona’s stunning Palau de la Música Catalana with a world-class cast led by a quartet of star soloists: soprano Elenora Buratto, mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca, tenor Benjamin Bernheim, and bass Riccardo Zanellato. The considerable talents of the Orfeó Català, directed by Xavier Puig, round out the vocal ranks, while the forces of the legendary Staatskapelle Dresden unite under the baton of maestro Daniele Gatti. Though punctuated by moments of tranquility, Verdi’s Requiem maintains an extraordinary intensity over its entire duration, brought to a thrilling peak in the terrifying “Dies irae” theme that recurs to hair-raising effect throughout the work.
The Acropolis Open-Air with Lukas Sternath
Written during the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars, Beethoven’s fifth and final piano concerto is both epic and moving. Young Austrian pianist Lukas Sternath plays as soloist with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, conducted by Constantinos Carydis. The programme continues with a selection from Skalkottas’ 36 Greek Dances, composed between 1931 and 1936, to go back to Austrian classicism, with Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 and the elegant and graceful ballet from the opera Idomeneo. The concert took place in Athens, with a view of the ancient Acropolis.
Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler 6
Andris Nelsons and the Wiener Philharmoniker confront the uncompromising power of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, the composer’s darkest and most enigmatic symphonic statement. With gripping intensity and architectural control, Nelsons traces the work’s inexorable march from martial determination to catastrophic collapse. The famous hammer blows in the finale strike with devastating force, while moments of lyrical repose are shaped with haunting restraint. This performance reveals Mahler’s Sixth as a tragic drama of fate and resistance, uncompromising in its emotional impact. Recorded at the Salzburg Festival, the concert forms part of the Wiener Philharmoniker’s Mahler cycle with Andris Nelsons. “Mahler’s ?tragedy’ as a cathartic experience in Salzburg. Standing ovations for the Wiener Philharmoniker under Andris Nelsons” (Die Presse)
Tonhalle Orchester – Paavo Järvi & Hélène Grimaud
Almost twenty years ago, Hélène Grimaud recorded Gershwin’s Piano Concerto on CD in Baltimore under the direction of our Honorary President David Zinman. Now she is bringing it to the Tonhalle Zurich – together with Paavo Järvi, who, as a jazz lover, also has a special relationship with this work. He will also conduct a suite from Janácek’s opera “The Cunning Little Vixen” and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5: the latter is a work for connoisseurs, says Paavo Järvi, “but perhaps that is precisely why it is also one for everyone”. What is certain is that this music has found its way into pop in very different ways: the swan call motif in particular has been quoted by bands such as The Murmaids, The First Class and Play People.
Verdi 125 – Anna Netrebko and Ludovic Tézier in Recital
Along with baritone Ludovic Tézier and pianist Nelson Calzi, Anna Netrebko marked the 125th anniversary of the death of Giuseppe Verdi with a recital programme dedicated to the legendary composer, in a truly unique event. Showcasing characters from Gilda and Violetta to Lady Macbeth, Amelia, and Leonora, Netrebko demonstrates technical fluency in tackling the various pieces, performing certain passages with a unique finesse. “Her use of vocal agility is supple yet eloquent, not merely for the sake of spectacle” (OperaLibera). Ludovic Tézier perfectly matches her level: “His singing is elegant, his tone is polished, and his performance is characterised by refined good taste” (OperaLibera).
At the piano, Nelson Calzi “was outstanding” (OPERA DIARY). The event took place in the 300-seat Teatro Verdi in Busseto, whose construction Verdi partially financed.