Summer-Festival: Lucerne Symphony Orchestra
Overview
Intro
Lucerne Symphony Orchestra | Michael Sanderling | Alexander Malofeev | Palmgren | Gershwin | Tchaikovsky
What does America sound like? Perhaps like Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin’s early stroke of genius. Just listen to the opening clarinet solo with its long, swooping glissando and you immediately picture the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, Broadway, or a smoky New York jazz club. Born in 2001, Alexander Malofeev – Russian by birth and now based in Berlin — will perform this “greatest hit” with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra. And he’s the perfect choice: he thrilled audiences here in 2024 when, under Riccardo Chailly, he performed Rachmaninoff’s fiendishly difficult First Piano Concerto with a virtuosity, assurance, and poetry that were simply unmatched. But Malofeev is also a musical treasure-hunter, drawn to uncovering lesser-known repertoire. One such find is the Second Piano Concerto by the Finnish composer Selim Palmgren, who died in 1951 and whose music will be heard at the Festival for the very first time. It is lushly Romantic — a perfect bridge to Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, which Michael Sanderling conducts following intermission. And this musical “confession of the soul” strikes straight at the heart.
Performers:
Lucerne Symphony Orchestra
Michael Sanderling, conductor
Alexander Malofeev, piano
Program:
Selim Palmgren (1878–1951)
Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 33 The River
George Gershwin (1898–1937)
Rhapsody in Blue
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Intermission at c. 20.20
| Contact address |
Lucerne Festival
Hirschmattstrasse 13 6003 Luzern +41 (0)41 226 44 00 info@lucernefestival.ch +41 (0)41 226 44 60 |
|---|---|
| Location |
KKL Luzern Konzertsaal Europaplatz 1 6005 Luzern Switzerland |
| Event Homepage | https://www.lucernefestival.ch/de/programm/luzerner-sinfonieorchester-michael-sanderling-alexander-malofeev/2351 |
| Price |
CHF 170.00 | 150.00 | 110.00 | 90.00 | 60.00 | 30.00
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Event dates
- 20 August 2026
Tickets from 24.03.2026 | 10.00 am (CET)