Lucerne Festival

Building on this rich tradition, the events of LUCERNE FESTIVAL today are regarded among the leading international music offerings, along with those of Bayreuth and Salzburg.

In 1938, LUCERNE FESTIVAL began its unique musical tradition quite magnificently with the now legendary Concert de Gala conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Building on this rich tradition, the events of LUCERNE FESTIVAL today are regarded among the leading international music offerings, along with those of Bayreuth and Salzburg. LUCERNE FESTIVAL now presents three festivals a year - LUCERNE FESTIVAL at Easter, LUCERNE FESTIVAL in Summer and LUCERNE FESTIVAL at the Piano. Inaugurated in 1998, the spectacular Lucerne concert hall built by French architect Jean Nouvel and acoustics consultant Russel Johnson has become the central performance site of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL events.

The most recent additions to this annual “summit of world-class orchestras” are the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA under the baton of Maestro Claudio Abbado, as well as the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY with its artistic director Pierre Boulez. Founded in 2003, the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA unites musicians of the Mahler Chamber orchestra with the world’s leading soloists and chamber musicians and has become a highlight of the program of LUCERNE FESTIVAL in Summer. The Academy is a new and future–oriented training platform which year by year teaches about 120 young and highly talented musicians from all over the world the art of interpreting the contemporary music repertoire.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL IN SUMMER 2008

This year, following “Language” and “Origins,” the theme of the Summer Festival will be “TanzMusik.” Once again listeners will be guided back to the musical roots – to the close connection between dance and music. Ballet and dance compositions from the early Baroque to the present day will function as a thread through the festival’s program, revealing the formative impact of dance on instrumental concert music.