Lucerne’s piano festival «Le Piano Symphonique»

For years, Martha Argerich has been on friendly terms with the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and its artistic director Numa Bischof Ullmann, and as “Pianiste Associée” she will play a key role in the piano festival “Le Piano Symphonique”. The term “Associée” can be taken quite literally: On the one hand, it emphasizes Martha Argerich’s long-term participation, on the other hand, it also basically means making music together with other pianists at the piano festival.

Thus, the piano festival “Le Piano Symphonique” will once again open up completely new perspectives. Martha Argerich will be heard in a duo as well as in a piano trio and in a “Carte Blanche”. And this in an illustrious circle of great pianists – among them Maria João Pires, Elisabeth Leonskaja and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. A selection of leading pianists of the next generation such as David Fray, Benjamin Grosvenor, Oliver Schnyder and Kit Armstrong will enchant Lucerne pianistically from January 16 – 21, 2024.

With rising star Yoav Levanon, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Sanderling, will perform Liszt’s two piano concertos as well as his “Totentanz” and also record them for Warner Classics.

Fourteen-year-old French pianist Arielle Beck will be featured as a “discovery of Le Piano Symphonique.”

That “Le Piano Symphonique” has definitely arrived in the here and now, i.e. in the immediate present, is demonstrated by two composition commissions to Marc-André Hamelin and Brett Dean, which will have their world premiere at the Piano Festival in January 2024.

The renowned piano magazine “Piano News” recently wrote: “That ‘Le Piano Symphonique’, with its exciting and diverse programming, has a great future, is beyond question … it is a boon for all piano lovers who like to discover the unusual and are willing to make a trip to beautiful Lucerne to do so.”

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to experience world-renowned artists up close – be there in the rooms of the KKL Luzern, in the Orchestra House of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra in Kriens, in the venerable Lukaskirche as well as in the stylish Hotel Schweizerhof.

Click here for the retrospective of “Le Piano Symphonique” 2023.