The world’s foremost orchestras, conductors
and soloists gather each year at Switzerland’s prestigious
Lucerne Festival for a final chapter of the summer’s
international festival season. The renowned acoustics of the
contemporary state-of-the-art Concert Hall attract today’s
most sought-after stars. We have been able to secure a limited
number of tickets for a leisurely full week (seven nights)
at the charming and intimate Hotel des Balances, ideally located
in the heart of the old town under the dramatic backdrop of
the Swiss Alps. This will enable us to include no less than
SIX CONCERTS representing the highlights of the European season
for lovers of great orchestras. This year’s extraordinary
schedule enables us to enjoy an embarrassment of riches: three
pairs of concerts by today’s finest instrumental ensembles
– the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Our
tickets and high-season rooms are at a premium and are expensive,
but the quality and ambience of the Lucerne Festival are worthy
of its superlative reputation as a connoisseur’s musical
event.
First,
a pair of concerts by the revered Berlin Philharmonic will
be conducted by their British Music Director, Sir Simon Rattle,
who has announced a choral program of Haydn’s full-length
oratorio The Seasons and a second evening of works by Britten,
Finland’s Kaija Saariaho and Berlioz. The two concerts
by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will be led their Latvian
Music Director, Mariss Jansons and will range from Sibelius,
Henri Duparc and Ravel to symphonies of Haydn and Shostakovich.
Third will be the peerless Vienna Philharmonic under the baton
of Zubin Mehta, offering Richard Strauss and Brahms in their
first program and Brahms contrasted with Bela Bartok on their
second evening.
With
music of this quality, it is no wonder that the Lucerne Festival
has become a mecca for the artistic élite of Europe.
Late summer is a perfect time to enjoy the mountainous scenery
which surrounds Lake Lucerne. Museums and restaurants are
relatively uncrowded in September, and the weather should
be particularly pleasant. This Tour is limited to only 16
people due to the difficulty of obtaining tickets for our
premium events.
Monday,
August 31st, departure from New York’s Kennedy Airport
at 6:00 pm on Swiss Airlines flight #15, arriving in Zürich
at 8:50 am on the morning of September 1st. Or independent
travel to Lucerne. Please note: Our bus transfer will meet
our designated flight and take you directly to Lucerne. If
you are arriving independently, you will need to take a taxi
to Lucerne (an expensive drive of an hour and a quarter) or
a train (reasonable).
