Lucerne Festival Opening – A Tribute To Rachmaninov

In the 1930s, a bucolic property on the shore of Lake Lucerne became the place of refuge for Sergei Rachmaninoff. 80 years after his farewell from Lucerne, he is the pivot of the prestigious Lucerne Festival. Maestro Riccardo Chailly pays tribute to the composer whom he describes as a lifelong inspiration. Besides conducting Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto in front of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, he finds time to visit the composer’s residence, Villa Senar, while his congenial ally, Russian pianist Denis Matsuev, crosses Lake Lucerne in a speed boat – at a slightly slower pace than Rachmaninoff during his sojourn in Switzerland.