Les Adieux

Name: Les Adieux
Start: 2025-09-14T15:00:00+02:00
Location: KKL Luzern, Concert Hall

Schedule

Sun, 14 Sep, 2025 at 03:00 pm

UTC+02:00

Location

KKL Luzern, Concert Hall | Lucerne, LU

Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Ensemble of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO)
Johanna Malangré, conductor
Ensemble of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Michael Barenboim, violin
Stefan Dohr, horn
Sol Gabetta, cello
Maximilian Hornung, cello
Winnie Huang, performer
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin
Igor Levit, piano
Graziella Contratto, laudatio
"A Farewell Party for Michael Haefliger"
With works by Gioachino Rossini, Fanny Mendelssohn, Jüri Reinvere, Pierre Boulez, Dieter Ammann, Wolfgang Rihm, Ludwig van Beethoven, and additional composers. Afterwards a party for everyone.
After 26 years as Executive and Artistic Director, Michael Haefliger bids farewell to Lucerne Festival. His tenure has been a true era: is there anything he hasn't achieved! He founded the Lucerne Festival Orchestra with Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Academy with Pierre Boulez. He discovered such current international stars as Sol Gabetta and Patricia Kopatchinskaja, entrusted Igor Levit with a piano festival of his own, and gave the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra an important role that also made a political statement. All of these soloists and ensembles will be present at his farewell party to thank him musically. For Michael Haefliger, new forms of presentation and world premieres have also been an integral part of the programming – and so these have to be part of his farewell. Stefan Dohr will perform the world premiere of Jüri Reinvere's new work for solo horn, and "artiste étoile" Winnie Huang will present a new performance with video. Speeches and messages of greeting will round off this three-hour concert marathon. But after that comes a big party to which everyone is cordially invited, performers and audience alike. And of course it will be open-ended!
Photo © Peter Fischli / Lucerne Festival