Chailly’s Rachmaninoff Finale

18 AUG 2026: With Lukas Sternath, Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra bring their Rachmaninoff cycle to a vivid conclusion.

A program of rich colors and late-Romantic intensity unfolds as Riccardo Chailly and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra open the evening with Scriabin’s shimmering Rêverie, a brief yet atmospheric sound vision. Rising star Lukas Sternath then performs Sergei Rachmaninoff’s rarely heard Piano Concerto No. 4, presented in the composer’s 1941 revision, where virtuosity, modern clarity, and lyrical depth find a remarkable balance.

After the interval, the orchestra explores the dramatic world of Rachmaninoff’s opera Aleko through a selection of orchestral scenes full of passion, contrast, and dance. The concert concludes with Ottorino Respighi’s brilliant orchestrations of Rachmaninoff’s Cinq Études-Tableaux, transforming the piano pieces into vivid symphonic landscapes.

This recording marks the completion of Riccardo Chailly's landmark Rachmaninoff cycle, featuring all four piano concertos, the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and all of the composer's major symphonic works.

Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Lukas Sternath, piano

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)
Rêverie, op. 24

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, op. 40 (Revised 1941 version)
Excerpts from "Aleko"

Sergei Rachmaninoff/Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Cinq Études-Tableaux

Live on ARTE Concert
August 18, 2026 | 7.30 pm
Concert Hall, KKL Lucerne

A 4K HDR Production of Accentus Music
In Coproduction with Arte GEIE, SRG and SRF
In Cooperation with Lucerne Festival, medici.tv and NCPA