Festival Strings Lucerne bring sleek clarity and ambient stasis

Festival Strings Lucerne

Maria João Pires

Festival Strings Lucerne... plus feline assistant

By Simon Cummings, 05 June 2024

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“the music didn’t so much progress as seem to slowly rotate on its axis”

Reviewed at Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Istanbul on 31 May 2024

Honegger, Pastorale d'été (Summer pastorale), H31

Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor, Op.37

Beethoven, Symphony no. 6 in F major "Pastoral", Op.68

Maria João Pires, Piano

Daniel Dodds, Director

Festival Strings Lucerne

Rudolf Buchbinder completes his Lucerne Beethoven journey

Sarah Batschelet, 17th November

Rudolf Buchbinder and the Lucerne Festival Strings recently performed Beethoven’s First and Fifth Piano Concertos in the last of the prestigious Piano festivals at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre.

*****

Romantic, serene, intense: Buchbinder brings Beethoven to Lucerne

Sarah Batschelet, 16th November

The highly decorated Austrian pianist, Rudolph Buchbinder, launched the Lucerne Piano Festival by playing and conducting the complete cycle of Beethoven’s five piano concertos.

*****

Maria João Pires exudes elegance and grace in Cleveland recital

Cameron Kelsall, 3rd May

The semi-retired pianist offered a generous program of Schubert and Debussy that showcased her technical prowess and interpretive gifts.

*****

Bruckner with a light touch from Blomstedt and the Philharmonia

Dominic Lowe, 26th May

Sensitive, nuanced Bruckner from Blomstedt and a Mozartian treat from Maria João Pires.

****1

Maria João Pires takes the spotlight at the Argerich Festival

Cameron Kelsall, 1st July

A collaborative performance of Mozart's Sonata for two pianos was not broadcast, but Pires stanched any disappoint by offering refined interpretations of Schubert.

****1

Maria João Pires reveals her poetic pianism in rare Aix appearance

Edward Sava-Segal, 7th April

A lovely recital of Schubert, Debussy and Beethoven by the Portuguese pianist in Aix’s Théâtre du Jeu de Paume.

****1

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Simon Cummings

Simon Cummings is a composer, writer and researcher based in the Cotswolds. He composes instrumental and electronic music, exploring aspects of algorithmic composition, and has recently completed a Ph.D. in composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire under the supervision of Richard Causton and Howard Skempton. His musical tastes are ludicrously broad but are focused most on contemporary/avant-garde classical and electronic music. When not composing, he writes regularly about new music; Simon is the author of the contemporary music blog 5:4 (5against4.com), and regularly contributes articles for a variety of books, journals and websites. Follow him on Twitter @5against4.

Festival Strings Lucerne bring sleek clarity and ambient stasis to Beethoven and Honegger