Summer-Festival: Lucerne Festival Orchestra 1 - Opening Concert

Go West! To open the summer Festival, Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra explore a range of “American Dreams.” First up is George Gershwin, who fused classical music and jazz so brilliantly that the old divide between highbrow and popular music simply falls away. His snappy Cuban Overture, inspired by a visit to Havana, practically dances on rumba rhythms. In contrast, his grand Concerto in F - which Chailly considers “the first American piano concerto” - takes its cues from the Charleston and the blues. Gershwin called its finale “a rhythmic orgy”: the perfect showcase for a boundary-pushing artist like the 34-year-old Frank Dupree, with his overflowing energy and infectious joy in performance. The second half of the evening is devoted to Charles Ives, a pioneer of musical freedom who would not submit to any rules. His First Symphony still stands within the Romantic tradition but, with its unbroken optimism, already brings a distinctly American flavor. Above all, its spirited blend of sweeping melodies, wild outbursts, touching gospel colors, and punchy march rhythms makes for sheer, irresistible entertainment.

Performers:
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Frank Dupree, piano
Solists of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO)

Program:
Steve Reich (*1936)
New York Counterpoint. Version for 11 clarinets

Welcome Address
Markus Hongler Chairman
Sebastian Nordmann Executive and Artistic Director

Welcoming Speech
Guy Parmelin President of the Swiss Confederation

George Gershwin (1898–1937)
Cuban Overture
Concerto in F for piano and orchestra

Charles Ives (1874–1954)
Symphony No. 1 in D minor

Intermission at c. 20.10

Tickets from 24.03.2026 | 10 am (CET)