Lucerne Festival Orchestra 5

In this exquisite program spotlighting “artiste étoile” Tabea Zimmermann as soloist, she will trace a wide span across nearly 900 years of music history, performing with soloists from the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. It all begins with Gregorian chants by the medieval abbess Hildegard von Bingen: praise of God in pure, bright intonation. Faith likewise characterizes the work of Sofia Gubaidulina, who refers to Asian spirituality in her Garden of Joy and Sorrow. “When is it really over? What is the true end?” is a quote from a poem by Francisco Tanzer that is recited in the piece. Through modified playing techniques, the ensemble produces sonorities that recall Far Eastern instruments. For his part, the Hungarian György Kurtág combines encrypted messages, snapshots, and miniature dramas in his series of works known as Signs, Games, and Messages. Meanwhile Luciano Berio, who was born exactly 100 years ago, provides for a brilliant finale with Naturale, subtitled “dancing action,” in which he combines the viola with tam-tam, bells, rototoms, marimba — and the raw natural voice of a taped Sicilian singer rendering folk tunes.