Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4 | Aleko | Études-tableaux
Lucerne Festival 2026

A program of rich colors and late-Romantic intensity unfolded as Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra opened the evening with Scriabin’s shimmering Rêverie, a brief yet atmospheric sound vision. Rising star Lukas Sternath then performed Sergei Rachmaninoff’s rarely heard Piano Concerto No. 4, presented in the composer’s 1941 revision, where virtuosity, modern clarity, and lyrical depth find a remarkable balance.

After the interval, the orchestra explored the dramatic world of Rachmaninoff’s opera Aleko through a selection of orchestral scenes full of passion, contrast, and dance. The concert concluded with Ottorino Respighi’s brilliant orchestrations of Rachmaninoff’s Études-tableaux, transforming the piano pieces into vivid symphonic landscapes.

This concert concluded Riccardo Chailly's and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra's Rachmaninoff cycle with all piano concertos, the Paganini Rhapsody, the three symphonies, the Symphonic Dances and more orchestral works, which commenced in 2019.