Lucerne Festival 2026 Opening Concert
Gershwin, Bernstein, Copland, Ives

The Lucerne Festival launched its 2026 summer season with a program celebrating the breadth of American music. Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra paired the vibrant sound world of George Gershwin with the early symphonic voice of Charles Ives.

Gershwin’s Cuban Overture set a spirited opening, alive with rhythmic drive and Caribbean color. Pianist Frank Dupree then brought his versatility to the Concerto in F major, where Gershwin seamlessly fuses the pulse of jazz with classical structure, culminating in a sparkling, high-energy finale, followed by Leonard Bernstein's riveting Mambo from West Side Story as an encore piece.

After the interval came a shift in tone with Ives’s Symphony No. 1 in D minor, a work rooted in the late-Romantic tradition yet already hinting at the originality that would define his later music. Its lush orchestral writing and subtle surprises offer a compelling counterpart to Gershwin’s urban flair. The symphony was preceded by a rendition of Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man in memory of Thomas Keller, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra's longtime tuba player who passed away shortly after last year's festival.

Together, all these works formed an opening night that blends vitality, virtuosity, remembrance, and the spirit of discovery—an ideal start to the festival’s summer season.