Founding
Concert of the
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Recorded live at the
Lucerne Festival,
Summer 2003
Concert Hall of the Culture- and
Convention Center Lucerne, 14.
August 2003
Rachel Harnisch - soprano
Eteri Gvazava - soprano
Schweizer Kammerchor /
Chorus Master -
Fritz Näf
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Claudio Abbado - conductor
Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien
Musique de scène sur le mystère en cinq actes de
Gabriele D'Annunzio
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian
Incidental music to the msytery play in five acts by
Gabriele d'Annunzio
Das
Martyrium des heiligen
Sebastian
Bühnenmusik zum Mysterienspiel in fünf Akten von Gabriele D'Annunzio
2:05 I. La Cour des Lys (11:49)
The Court of
Lilies
Der Lilienhof
13:58 II.
La Chambre magique (9:20)
The
Magic Chamber
Der magische Raum
23:10
III. Le Concile des faux dieux (6:08)
The Council of the
False Gods
Der Rat der falschen Götter
29:28 IV. Le
Laurier bléssé (4:55)
The Wounded Laurel
Der verletzte Lorbeerbaum
34:21 V.
Le Paradis (4:55)
Paradise
Das
Paradies
The programme of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra's inaugural concert comprised works by
Claude Debussy, with the focal
point being the
1911 stage music to Gabriele D'Annunzio's Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien, based on stations from the life of
Saint Sebastian, who was killed by archers because of his faith. This mystery play, with its elements of music, song, recitation, dance and sets, follows the idea of the total artwork. From
Debussy's musical inserts for this five-hour staged work, Abbado put together a five-part suite comprising preludes, dances, soloistic sections and choruses. The speaking roles are completely dispensed with, and the orchestra, chorus and soloists are the protagonists of an expressive sound-picutre comprising some of the most mature and beautiful music Debussy ever wrote.
Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival have enjoyed a close musical relationship spanning nearly four decades. Like many now world-famous conductors, Abbado, too, made his début in Lucerne at the rostrum of the
Swiss Festival Orchestra, which from 1943 to
1993 made a decisive mark on the summer music festival. lt was in 1966 that he first conducted the ensemble, made up of
Switzerland's best musicians. This was the time when the young conductor also presented himself to the
Vienna and
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. Since then Abbado has been a regular guest on the shore of
Lake Lucerne. He came with the
Vienna Philharmonic, the
London Symphony Orchestra and the
Philharmonia Orchestra, and was the first person to bring the music of
Luigi Nono to Lucerne, the piece in question being II canto sospeso, which he performed in
1979 with the Orchestra del
Teatro alla Scala Milano.
In
1989 Abbado was elected
Chief Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, and with this orchestra, which had been associated with the festival for decades, he now came to Lucerne every year from the end of August to the beginning of September. Exactly five years ago Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic had the honour of performing the opening concert in the new concert hall of the Lucerne
Culture und
Conference Centre, designed by
Jean Nouvel and
Russell Johnson.
Abbado did not, however, just come to Lucerne as the chief conductor of several major
European orchestras. Ha has always been committed to promoting young talent, und has founded several youth orchestras, which he has introduced at the Lucerne Festival. He performed there in
1980 and
1985 with the
European Community Youth Orchestra, in
1986 and
1988 with the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and in
1996 with the
Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.
The new Lucerne Festival Orchestra is an internationally unique orchestra formed for summer
2003, which right at the start of the festival ensured great musical moments and global headlines: "A conductor is back, an orchestra reborn", wrote
The New York Times; "The marvel in Lucerne", acclaimed
Berlin's
Tagesspiegel. With this newly formed orchestra Abbado was continuing the long tradition of a resident festival orchestra, begun by
Arturo Toscanini at the first Lucerne
Summer Festival with a "Concert de
Gala" when he conducted in front of
Wagner's former residence in
Tribschen in
1938.
lt has been in the new Lucerne Festival Orchestra that famous musicians have met and, exclusively in this grouping, given performances of works from the symphonic repertoire. The orchestra's principal desks have been occupied by soloists such as
Kolja Blacher,
Renaud und
Gautier Capucon,
Wolfram Christ, Stephan Dohr,
Georg Faust,
Natalia Gutman,
Albrecht Mayer,
Emmanuel Pahud,
Diemut Poppen and Alois
Posch, as well as by members of the
Hagen Quartet and the
Ensemble Sabine Meyer. The basis has been provided by the
Mahler Chamber Orchestra - around 50 musicians with whom Abbado has collaborated for years.
- published: 29 Mar 2015
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