Dear friends of LuganoMusica,
As I prepare to greet you at this happy moment of presenting a new and exciting musical season, I am reminded of what deeply unites us: the fact that live music, experienced physically in person, is more important than ever for all of us.
It is precisely in line with this awareness – and recognising the passion for concerts as a real qualifying moment in the cultural and social life of our city, but also of the whole region – that LuganoMusica has prepared a 2022-2023 programme aimed at satisfying the most diverse tastes, interests and curiosities. The quality of the performers and the programmes on offer are of the utmost importance.
If we want to highlight some particular aspects of the new line-up, we can only emphasise the presence of some of the international scene's leading young conductors. Despite their almost tender age, these young masters have already established themselves worldwide through the refinement of their performances. Klaus Mäkelä and Emmanuel Tjeknavorian (already our guest as a violin soloist) are 26 years old, Lahav Shani 33 and Santtu-Matias Rouvali 36; they all conduct some of Europe's most prestigious orchestras. Renaud Capuçon – certainly no stranger to our audience but who still retains some of his youthful traits – will also be appearing at the LAC for the first time as a conductor with “his” Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne.
It is precisely the Lausanne orchestra that represents a new and further step in the discovery of the best Swiss symphonic ensembles, an initiative that LuganoMusica has been carrying out for some years now with excellent results.
The other premieres feature three prominent continental orchestras: the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from Amsterdam, the Philharmonia Orchestra from London and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Wiener Symphoniker, the Orchestre de Paris, the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer, the Orchestra Mozart with Daniele Gatti, the Giardino Armonico with Giovanni Antonini, the Concert des Nations with Jordi Savall, Beatrice Rana and the dazzling Alexandre Tharaud/Jean-Guihen Queyras duo are other much-awaited returns. Daniel Harding, who thrilled us in 2019, will be back at the head of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
As far as the piano – one of the most beloved musical instruments – is concerned, it is with particular pride that we can announce for the 2022-2023 season a kind of “star team” of today's piano performance: Rudolf Buchbinder, Maurizio Pollini, Arkadi Volodos, Yefim Bronfman, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Francesco Piemontesi and the very young Seong-Jin Cho.
Francesco Piemontesi will offer us an invaluable connection to another feature cherished by LuganoMusica: the relationship with the local artistic reality. Although the attribute “local” often seems to somewhat impair the value or the quality of the musical offer, LuganoMusica is proud to prove the opposite since Piemontesi, Diego Fasolis with I Barocchisti, and Luca Pianca with the Ensemble Claudiana are regularly present on the most prestigious international billboards. In this context, we must not forget the illustrious soloists who – in two different programmes – will bring to life the LuganoMusica Ensemble.
Straddling two seasons and various manners, a particular focus is also devoted to the 100th anniversary of György Ligeti's birth. The Hungarian, born on 28 May 1923, is regarded as one of the most extraordinary composers of the entire 20th century.
Finally, the string quartet weekend, the encounters with promising young musicians (between April and May), the Early Night Modern new music events and the ever-surprising EAR electronic happenings are all to be seen as part of a welcome continuity.
These few lines are obviously only a foretaste of what LuganoMusica will offer throughout the 2022-2023 season. I invite you to discover the programme's details in the following pages. For the time being, I express my warmest regards and hope we will all meet again in the auditorium.