Music Chief conductor Riccardo Chailly drops out of the Lucerne Festival
The Lucerne Festival has announced a major cancellation. Chief conductor Riccardo Chailly will not be able to conduct the concerts for health reasons, as the festival organizers announced on Thursday.
20.03.2025, 10:23
SDA
Conductors Rafael Payare and Franz Welser-Möst will step in. Rafael Payare will conduct the concert on April 11 and Franz Welser-Möst the second on Sunday, April 13, according to the communiqué. The Beethoven program remains unchanged. The Venezuelan Payere will conduct the Sixth Symphony, the Pastorale and the Fourth Piano Concerto in G major with solo pianist Mao Fujita.
Austrian Franz Welser-Möst will conduct Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the MDR Radio Choir and soloists Regula Mühlemann, Marie-Claude Chappuis, Benjamin Bruns and Markus Werba.
According to the Lucerne Festival, Rafael Payere will make his debut as conductor at the Lucerne Festival and at the helm of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Welser-Möst will be conducting the Lucerne Festival Orchestra for the first time, it added.
The 72-year-old chief conductor Riccardo Chailly has canceled his commitments for the entire month of March due to illness. He had already canceled a concert at La Scala in Milan a few days ago.
The Lucerne Festival runs from August 12 to September 14 and is the last under Artistic Director Michael Haefliger. He led Switzerland's largest classical music event for 26 years.
