Media Release LUCERNE FESTIVAL – Preview of the 2016 Festival Year Easter Festival (12 to 20 March) : Jordi Savall is artist-in-residence; Mariss Jansons conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in two concerts during their residency Summer Festival (12 August to 11 September) : The theme “PrimaDonna” to focus on women as artists; Riccardo Chailly gives his first performances as the new Music Director of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA; Wolfgang Rihm leads the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY for the first time as new Artistic Director Piano Festival (19 to 27 November) : Outstanding keyboard artists are the hallmark of the Piano Festival: Rudolf Buchbinder, Igor Levit, Murray Perahia, Maria João Pires, and Grigory Sokolov Lucerne, 26 October 2015. The Easter Festival from 12 to 20 March 2016 will feature its first-ever artist-in-residence when Jordi Savall comes to Lucerne to give a total of three concerts. The gamba player and conductor, who celebrates his 75th birthday in 2016, will be heard both as soloist and with his ensembles Le Concert des Nations and La Capella Reial de Catalunya in great Baroque choral works; in addition he will initiate a “Dialogue of Souls” with Hespèrion XXI, juxtaposing traditional melodies from Jewish, Islamic, and Christian sacred music. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir will be conducted by Mariss Jansons in two major concerts during their annual residency in Lucerne. William Christie and Sir John Eliot Gardiner will preside over additional highlights, Bernard Haitink again leads his master class in conducting. LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG presents the dance theater production The Little Prince . The Summer Festival from 12 August to 11 September 2016 focuses the programming spotlight on women with the Festival theme “PrimaDonna.” All of the female artists who perform during the Summer Festival will receive the distinction of “artistes étoiles”: including no fewer than eleven female conductors. The “Day of Adventure” will introduce such conductors as Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, Anu Tali, Maria Schneider, and Konstantia Gourzi. With Emmanuelle Haïm on the podium, the Vienna Philharmonic will play for its first time in Lucerne under the direction of a woman. Marin Alsop makes her debut in Lucerne with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and Barbara Hannigan conducts the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Among the soloists to be featured are such names as Martha Argerich, Cecilia Bartoli, Diana Damrau, Sol Gabetta, and Anne-Sophie Mutter. As part of the Roche Commissions series, composer-in-residence Olga Neuwirth has written a new work for percussion and orchestra that will be given its world premiere by soloist Martin Grubinger with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY under Susanna Mälkki. The LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA opens the Summer Festival with Mahler’s Eighth Symphony under the direction of its new Music Director, Riccardo Chailly. In a second program Bernard Haitink will conduct Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony. With these concerts as well as with a Dvo řák cycle in which he will lead the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Haitink will observe the 50th anniversary of his debut on the stage of LUCERNE FESTIVAL. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amster- dam appears for the first time with its new Music Director, Daniele Gatti. Kirill Petrenko makes his LUCERNE FESTIVAL debut conducting the Bavarian Staatsorchester. Herbert Blomstedt will give page 1/2 two concerts with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and Daniel Barenboim continues his 50-year tradition of guest performances in Lucerne with concerts by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and the Staatskapelle Berlin. Tugan Sokhiev gives his Festival debut conducting the Vienna Philharmonic as well as the winner of the 2016 Credit Suisse Young Artist Award. As part of the Debut series this year, a female conductor will also be introduced: the Hong Kong native Elim Chan. In 2016 the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY begins its work under the new artistic directorship of Wolfgang Rihm. Principal Conductor Matthias Pintscher will train the Academy Orchestra in works by Igor Stravinsky, Mark Andre, and György Ligeti. Susanna Mälkki and Alan Gilbert will also be on hand to conduct, and Anne-Sophie Mutter will perform as soloist with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY Orchestra. Dance will be a theme at LUCERNE FESTIVAL YOUNG: Massimo Gerardi choreographs the third edition of Young Performance, which will feature six musicians and two ballet dancers. From 19 to 27 November 2016 the KKL Luzern turns into a temple devoted to the keyboard with the Piano Festival . Rudolf Buchbinder, Igor Levit, Grigory Sokolov will give recitals, Murray Perahia will perform in a piano concert with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and the Basel Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Trevor Pinnock, will partner with Maria João Pires. A Day of Adventure devoted to keyboard artistry, three Debut concerts, and the Piano Off-Stage Festival are additional points of focus for this piano-centric week, which ends with a concert of chamber music by Brahms featuring Lars Vogt. Additional information on how to buy tickets as well as on the options for summer subscriptions may be found at www.lucernefestival.ch/en New release in the Historic Performances series in partnership with the label audite: Philharmonia Orchestra | Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor | Annie Fischer, piano | Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (1960) with the Swiss Festival Orchestra | George Szell, conductor | Leon Fleisher, piano | Beethoven: Piano Concerto Np. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19 (1962) Contacts Nina Steinhart, Head of PR Lucerne Festival | [email protected] | t +41 41 226 44-43/-59 UK: Judy Grahame | M&C Saatchi Arts | [email protected] | t +44 (0)7831 317728 US: Eric Latzky Culture | Communications NY | [email protected] | t +1 212 358 0223 page 2/2 at EASTER Main Sponsor 12 – 20 March 2016 16100 Sat, 12.03. Dialogue of Souls | prices CHF 80/40 “East – West. Dialogue of Souls” 19.30 | HK Hespèrion XXI | Jordi Savall Traditional melodies from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian sacred music from the Mediterranean Sea 16101 Sun, 13.03. Chamber Music | prices CHF 60/30 Mendelssohn String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80 | 20.00 | HK Auryn Quartet | Ulrich Wolff | Ruth Ziesak Boccherini Stabat Mater, G. 532 for soprano and string quintet (first version) 16102 Mon, 14.03. Choral Concert 1 | prices CHF 60/30 Schutz Selections from the Psalms of David | 19.30 | FK Lucerne Academy Choir | Students of the Lucerne University of Music | Martin Passacaille for organ | Ulrike Grosch | Johannes Strobl Stravinsky Mass for mixed chorus and ten winds 16103 Tue, 15.03. Symphony Concert 1 | prices CHF 220/190/140/100/60/30 | seat map 4 (p. 35) Mozart Il re pastore, K. 208. Serenata in two acts 19.30 | KS Les Arts Florissants | William Christie | Rolando Villazón | Martina Janková | Regula Mühlemann | Angela Brower | Emiliano Gonzalez Toro 16104 Wed, 16.03. Recital – Gamba | price CHF 50 “Les Voix humaines” 19.30 | FK Jordi Savall works for solo gamba by Abel, Schenck, Sainte-Colombe, J. S. Bach, Marais, Playford, et al. 16120 Thu, 17.03. Master Class in Conducting with Bernard Haitink 1 | price CHF 30 Mozart Symphony in D major, K. 385 Haffner | 10/16 | LS Festival Strings Lucerne | Bernard Haitink | Beethoven Overture No. 2 from the opera Leonore, Op. 72 | Students from the Master Class Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 | Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales | Britten Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op. 33a 16105 Thu, 17.03. Choral Concert 2 | prices CHF 170/150/110/90/60/30 | seat map 1 (p. 32) J. S. Bach St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 19.30 | KS The English Baroque Soloists | The Monteverdi Choir | Lucerne Boys’ Choir | Sir John Eliot Gardiner | Soloists 16121 Fri, 18.03. Master Class in Conducting with Bernard Haitink 2 | price CHF 30 See program listing for 17 March. 10/16 | LS Festival Strings Lucerne | Bernard Haitink | Students from the Master Class 16106 Fri, 18.03. Choral Concert 3 | prices CHF 170/150/110/90/60/30 | seat map 4 (p. 35) Charpentier Te Deum in D major, H 146 | 19.30 | KS Le Concert des Nations | La Capella Reial de Catalunya | Jordi Savall | Handel Jubilate Deo in D major, HWV 279 | Hanna Bayodi-Hirt | Marta Mathéu | Romina Basso | Cyril Auvity | Vivaldi Magnificat in G major, RV 610 | Konstantin Wolff J. S. Bach Magnificat in D major, BWV 243 Zurich Insurance Company Ltd – Main Sponsor 16122 Sat, 19.03. Master Class in Conducting with Bernard Haitink 3 | price CHF 30 See program listing for 17 March. 10/15 | LS Festival Strings Lucerne | Bernard Haitink | Students from the Master Class 16107 Sat, 19.03. Choral Concert 4 | prices CHF 240/200/150/100/60/30 | seat map 2 (p. 33) Beethoven Overture to Coriolan, Op. 62 (version using 18.30 | KS Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir | Mariss Jansons | the instrumental retouching by Gustav Mahler) | Julian Rachlin | Tatiana Pavlovskaya | Oleg Dolgov | Alexey Markov Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 | Zurich Insurance Company Ltd – Main Sponsor Rachmaninoff The Bells. Symphonic poem after Edgar Allan Poe, Op. 35 16109 Sun, 20.03. Young Music Theater | prices CHF 20/10 “The Little Prince” 16110 11/15 | LS National Youth Ballet | Ensemble of LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI and After themes from the novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, with Esslingen PODIUM Festival music by Elgar, Janáček, Ravel, and Debussy (ages 8 and up) Swiss premiere (in German) 16108 Sun, 20.03. Symphony Concert 2 | prices CHF 240/200/150/100/60/30 | seat map 2 (p. 33) Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60 Leningrad 18.30 | KS Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra | Mariss Jansons Zurich Insurance Company Ltd – Main Sponsor Venues KS Konzertsaal KKL Luzern | LS Luzerner Saal KKL Luzern | FK Franziskanerkirche | HK Hofkirche 16 | Program for LUCERNE FESTIVAL inSummer forLUCERNEFESTIVAL 16 |Program in SuMMER Main Sponsors 12 August – 11 September 2016 16300 Fri, 12.08.