Luzerner Sinfonieorchester ǀ M. Sanderling ǀ N. Lugansky

On stage, the sounds of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, the oldest symphonic orchestra in Switzerland, has been fashioned by two centuries of history, combining a respect for tradition and a spirit of discovery. Made up of musicians from some twenty nations and firmly rooted in Lucerne and its Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern (KKL), the fame of the ensemble now extends far beyond its borders. Michael Sanderling, chief conductor since 2021, pursues an artistic vision attentive to the great frescoes of Romanticism. Alongside him, the Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky, an artist of remarkable and virtuoso sensitivity and famed on the greatest international stages, tackles a repertoire to which he is no stranger. He lends his powerful, yet poetic, touch to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, the acme of piano Romanticism and a work of creative rebirth after a period of doubt. The evening continues with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, known as the Pathétique, a moving score with a hint of tragedy, swept by extreme emotions that the composer himself felt were deeply personal. Written just before his death and hailed as a posthumous triumph, it resonates like a musical confession of a rare intensity.