On September 2, as part of the Lucerne Festival, Susanna Mälkki will conduct the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra in their final performance of the summer. The program for this captivating performance includes the Swiss premiere of Enno Poppe’s avant-garde masterpiece Fett (“Fat”) for orchestra, a work that promises to push the boundaries of musical expression with its use of dynamic “chord towers”. Adding to the evening’s allure is Unsuk Chin’s Šu, a unique composition for Sheng and orchestra, also making its Swiss premiere. Providing a fresh and intriguing perspective on contemporary orchestral music of the 21st Century, the work juxtaposes the orchestra with the Sheng, a Chinese mouth organ with a history spanning over three millennia. The composer’s creative inspiration was sparked by the exceptional talents of sheng virtuoso Wu Wei, who will take the stage as the soloist in the performance. The concert will culminate in the brilliance of Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps, a powerful and iconic work that continues to captivate audiences with its revolutionary approach to orchestration and rhythm over one hundred years later.
Photo: Marica Rosengard