With the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, a globally unique orchestra was formed, made sure of great moments and international headlines. "A conductor is back, an orchestra reborn" the New York Times wrote, "The miracle of Lucerne" praised the Berliner Tagesspiegel. In the summer of 2004, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra embarks on its second season. Once again, Claudio Abbado stands at the music stand of an exquisite orchestra drawing together outstanding...

A miracle, one would in light of the Middle East conflicts believe: the worldwide respected West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is made up of young musicians from countries that are engaged in war. The orchestra, with youngsters from Israel, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Spain, was formed in 1999 in Weimar. In the following years there have been concerts among others in Berlin, Seville, Rabat and in the summer of 2005 even in Ramallah –...

The beginning of the season belongs to Antonín Dvorák, in part because the beginnings of the Czech Philharmonic are associated with him personally. At the opening concert the orchestra will be welcoming for the first time the outstanding Augustin Hadelich. "Dvorák was himself a violist, so it is no surprise that the inner voices in his scores are always extremely important. In many sections of the violin concerto (like the beautiful transition...

A Gala concert to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the IPO features many world-famous soloists. From veteran violinist Issac Stern to the younger talents of Maxim Vengerov and Gil Shaham, "... anybody who comes to play here does not come because it is a job. They feel friendship, they feel something of the heart." (Itzhak Perlman) Also available is the documentary, "There is so much talent here".

Piano virtuoso Kirill Gerstein returns to the Philharmonie de Paris for an exceptional concert alongside the Orchestre de Paris and the dynamic Lahav Shani! Gerstein takes the sparkling solo role in Beethoven's first mature concerto for the piano, known due to its later publication date as the Piano Concerto No. 2--a piece that shows both the indebtedness of the young Beethoven to Mozart and the singularly dramatic ardor that would continue to underpin...

Copland wrote his ballet score Appalachian Spring for a 13-member chamber ensemble in 1944. Since then, it has had several orchestral arrangements. The one on the programme is by the evening's conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. Balancing it out is Schubert's 9th Symphony "The Great", composed as close competition of Beethoven's symphonic works.

In 2014, Strauss's birth 150 years ago is being commemorated. Strauss was a champion of the symphonic poem, and one of his first works in that genre was Macbeth. Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche followed soon after, fully revealing Strauss's mastery in the sharp melodic characterisations and brilliant instrumentation. With its energetic and cheerful character (despite Till's execution, which is vividly depicted in the music), the work complements...