THE LUCERNE FESTIVAL EIGHT MAJOR CONCERTS Saturday, September 5th through Monday, September 14th

Lucerne waterfront

“The fame of Lucerne as a tourist resort is kept up from year to backdrop of the Swiss Alps. This will enable us to include an year by a well-known music festival. The town has a remarkable unprecedented EIGHT MAJOR CONCERTS representing the site at the northwest end of Lake Lucerne.” Michelin highlights of the 2020 European season for lovers of great orchestras. This year, our irresistible schedule includes the Sir Simon Rattle & The London Symphony Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel ; a pair of con - “Rattle drew grandly impassioned music-making from his players certs by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of throughout, with the LSO strings in particular on soaring Sir Simon Rattle ; another pair of concerts by the form.” The Guardian Dresden Staatskapelle led by Christian Thiele - mann ; the Munich Philharmonic under Valery “Again Gustavo Dudamel gave intense attention to Gergiev ; and a final pair of all-Beethoven programs by detail urging soloists and chorus to Wagnerian heights the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique & and then way beyond.” Los Angeles Times Monteverdi Choir with John Eliot Gardiner on the podium. To celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday, Mae - “Anja Harteros is one of Europe’s most fascinating and stro Gardiner’s forces will perform both the Missa versatile sopranos.” Opera News, cover article Sir Simon Rattle Solemnis and Symphony No. 9 (‘Choral’).

“Anja Kampe proved once again that she is a Our tickets and high-season rooms are at a singing actress of great importance. She really premium and are expensive , but the quality triumphed here…” Seen & Heard Int’l.com, and ambience of the Lucerne Festival are review at Munich’s Festival worthy of its superlative reputation as a con - noisseur’s musical event. September is a per - fect time to enjoy the magnificent mountain - he world’s foremost orchestras, con - ous scenery surrounding Lake Lucerne . ductors and soloists gather each year at Switzerland’s prestigious Lucerne Gustavo Dudamel Christian Saturday, September 5th, departure from Festival for a final chapter of the sum - Thielemann New York’s Kennedy Airport at 6:10 pm on T mer’s international festival season. Swiss Airlines flight #17, arriving in Zürich at The renowned acoustics of the contempo - 8:00 am on the morning of the 6th. Or inde - rary state-of-the-art Concert Hall attract pendent travel to Lucerne. Please note: Our today’s most sought-after stars. As in recent bus transfer will meet our designated flight years, we have been able to secure a limited on Sunday, September 6th and take you number of tickets for a leisurely sojourn of directly to Lucerne. If you are arriving inde - eight nights at the charming and intimate pendently, you will need to take a taxi to Hotel des Balances , ideally located in the Lucerne (roughly 30 – 40 minutes) or a train. heart of the old town under the dramatic Sir John Eliot Valery Gergiev Gardiner 27 Accommoda - built in the l4th century and flanked by a landmark octagonal tions for eight tower; the Wine Market square with its decorative houses bear - nights with a ing the signs and flags of various historic guilds; and the hand - generous some Renaissance Altes Rathaus (‘Town Hall’) on the banks of Swiss buffet the Reuss River. breakfast included at Tuesday eve ning at 7:30, we will hear the London Symphony the Hotel des Orchestra in Balances . a second pro - This four-star gram under property is Sir Simon located in the Rattle . A historic city- high light of the Festival Hotel des Balances, on Lake Lucerne center on the Reuss River will be Gus - with beautiful views of the Old Towne and the Alps. It is also within tav Mah ler’s comfortable walking distance of our performances at the Concert full-length Symphony No. Hall . The exterior façade is famous for its murals in the style of 2 (‘Resurrec - Hans Holbein, and the Restaurant Balances offers European and regional Swiss dining. The hotel’s friendly atmosphere and personal tion’) , with service will add immeasurably to our Lucerne experience. soprano Elsa Dreisig and Kapelbrücke IMPORTANT: Please note that there is a concert on our first mezzo- evening. While we would be happy to reserve your room for the soprano Elizabeth Kulman intoning the emotional solos in the early night of September 5th, you would need to transfer indepen - final choral movements. dently from the Zürich Airport to Lucerne. Our group transfer After the concert, dinner is arranged for us at Hotel Wilden will be on September 6th. You should notify us NOW in Mann not far from our hotel. writing if you wish to arrive a night early. Early Sunday evening, September 6th, a reception of Swiss On Wednesday, September 9th, we will have a guided ‘backstage aperitifs and hors-d’oeuvres is arranged for us at our hotel. tour’ of Lucerne’s Konzerthaus , designed by the renowned This will be an opportunity to meet other members of the tour. French architect Jean Nouvel. Since its opening in 2000, the Our first event in the Konzerthaus will be a 6:30 pm concert on Sunday by the revered Vienna Philharmonic . The conductor is the young Vene zuelan Gustavo Dudamel , currently lionized as the Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has announced a program of Beeth oven’s Symphony #2 and Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. Monday afternoon, September 7th, an hour-and-a-half walking tour will introduce you to the accessible quaint city-center of Lucerne. The picturesque bridges and café-lined squares are a major attraction of this quiet but elegant town and are best appre - ciated on foot. At 7:30 pm on Monday, we will return to the Konzerthaus to hear the London Symphony Orchestra in the first of two concerts. The ensemble’s Music Director Sir Simon Rattle was the pres - Lucerne Konzerthaus tigious leader of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 until 2018. Rattle’s program this evening will begin with Johannes Brahms’ Konzerthaus has been the prin - Symphony No. 2 and Richard Wagner’s Prelude & Liebestod from cipal venue for most of the Fes - ‘Tristan und Isolde’ and Prelude to ‘Lohengrin’. The second half tival’s important events. The witll include Anton Webern’s Six Pieces for Large Orchestra and hall’s famous acoustics are the Gyorgy Ligeti’s Atmospheres for Large Orchestra. envy of the world’s leading con - ductors, as evidenced by Sir Tuesday, September 8th, is left free during the day for indepen - Neville Marriner’s appraisal – dent activities. A variety of “There is no equivalent concert local open-air markets and hall like this in London. If I attractive shops are within could, I’d put it in my pocket and take it with me wherever I go.” easy walking distance of the This morning we will also stop at the Dying Lion of Lucerne , a hotel. Accounting for the world-famous monument hewn out of natural rock in memory of unique charm of the old the heroic death of Swiss mercenaries in 1792. Before returning town are the Kapelbrücke to the hotel, lunch is planned at Scala Restaurant in the unique covered bridge crossing the Art Deco Hotel Montana perched high in the mountains above mouth of the Reuss River , Luc erne with inspiring views of central Switzerland. Dying Lion of Lucerne 28 Wednesday eve- ning, our 7:30 pm concert in the Kon zert haus will feature the Dres - den Staats kap - elle conducted by the German Music Director Christ - ian Thielemann. Maestro Thiele - mann has chosen Hotel Montana an all-German program of Carl Maria von Weber’s Overture to ‘Oberon’, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, and Richard Strauss’s Three Hymns, Opus 71. The soloist for Strauss’s rarely heard Hymns will be Reuss River, Lucerne soprano Anja Kampe , one of today’s fore - when John Eliot Gardiner will lead his Orchestra Révolu - most Wagnerian interpreters. tionnaire et Romantique & Monteverdi Choir in a perfor - Thursday, September 10th, and Friday the mance of Beethoven’s choral mass, the extraordinary Missa 11th, are left free during the day for you to Solemnis . The four international solo ists will be soprano Lucy relax and to explore Lucerne on your own. Crowe , mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong , tenor Alan Clay - ton , and bass Morris Robinson . Thursday evening, we will return to the Konzerthaus for a second program by the On Sunday, September Anja Kampe Dresden Staatskapelle at 7:30 pm. Chris - 13th, lunch is planned tian Thielemann is a prominent Strauss at Bam Bou , our devoté and will lead an all Strauss program favorite Lucerne of his exuberant tone poem Till Eulen - restaurant. spiegel’s Merry Pranks; Waltz Sequence No. 1 At 5:00 pm on Sunday, from ‘Der Rosenkavalier’; and seven of his our final concert will consummate Lieder . The soloist is the radi - celebrate Beethoven’s ant German soprano Anja Harteros , cur - 250th birthday with a Lucy Crowe Elisabeth DeShong rently this writer’s favorite exponent of performance of his Strauss’s Marschallin, Arabella, and The Sym phony No. 9 Anja Harteros Four Last Songs. (‘Choral’) . Sir John Friday evening’s 7:30 pm concert will offer the Munich Philhar - Eliot Gardiner is monic under its dynamic Russian Music Director, Valery again the conductor Gergiev . Following Jan Sibelius’ melodic Violin Concerto, Mae - for the same orches - stro Gergiev will offer Hector Berlioz’ virtuoso orchestral show - tral, choral and vocal piece, La Symphonie Fantastique. soloists announced for the previous evening. Saturday morning, September 12th, a morning visit will take us Alan Clayton Morris Robinson to The Rosengart Collection which has been hailed as “quite Monday, September possibly Europe’s best new museum” (Nati onal Geographic 14th, transfer to Zürich Airport in time for departure at 12:55 pm Traveler) and has immediately altered the artistic image of the on Swiss Airlines flight #14, scheduled to arrive at New York’s city. This personal collection of Angela Rosengart , an art dealer Kennedy Airport at 3:45 pm. Or independent departure. and collector who was a fre - Air fare: Prices are subject to change, depending on time of quent model for Picasso, is “a booking. Please contact our agent Linda Botros (back-page coherent treasure chest of cover) for lowest current fares. Klees, Picassos, and other great modern painters of the 20th century” – including Lucerne Festival: works by Cézanne, Monet, Price per person, based on double occupancy $ 6,880* Matisse, Braque, Léger and Single room supplement $ 980 Miró. Ms. Rosengart has gen - erously committed her collec - Our price is higher than usual, due to the inclusion of eight tion to her hometown of nights at the hotel in order to fit our chosen program of 8 pre - Lucerne: “It was a gift to the mium concerts. city, made with my heart.” Airfare NOT included. (Quotes from National Geo - Air fare: Prices are subject to change, depending on time of graphic Traveler). booking. Please contact our agent Linda Botros (back-page Our early concert on Saturday cover) for lowest current fares. Picasso painting in the evening begins at 6:30 pm, Rosengart Collection 29