Starting in 2022, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra will no longer be limited to performing in the summer. Each spring going forward, the ensemble will additionally lure classical music fans from all over the world to Lucerne. Together with their “boss” Riccardo Chailly, the orchestra will celebrate a three-day music festival during the Palm Sunday weekend, following the model of historic music festivals that have been held in the Rhineland since the early Romantic period at varying venues, such as Aachen, Düsseldorf, and Cologne. Between 1833 and 1846, on seven occasions, Felix Mendelssohn took over the direction of these so-called “Lower Rhine Music Festivals,” which similarly lasted for three days in the spring and had a thematic focus. It is therefore no coincidence that Mendelssohn now serves as the guiding star for the Lucerne programs in 2022 and 2023, which will include performances of all five of his symphonies.