Les Adieux

After 26 years as Executive and Artistic Director, Michael Haefliger bids farewell to Lucerne Festival. His tenure has been a true era: is there anything he hasn’t achieved! He founded the Lucerne Festival Orchestra with Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Academy with Pierre Boulez. He discovered such current international stars as Sol Gabetta and Patricia Kopatchinskaja, entrusted Igor Levit with a piano festival of his own, and gave the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra an important role that also made a political statement. All of these soloists and ensembles will be present at his farewell party to thank him musically. For Michael Haefliger, new forms of presentation and world premieres have also been an integral part of the programming — and so these have to be part of his farewell. Stefan Dohr will perform the world premiere of Jüri Reinvere’s new work for solo horn, and “artiste étoile” Winnie Huang will present a new performance with video. Speeches and messages of greeting will round off this three-hour concert marathon. But after that comes a big party to which everyone is cordially invited, performers and audience alike. And of course it will be open-ended!