Wed, 26.08.2026
Summer Festival: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra 1

In this concert, you can solve a riddle. On June 19, 1899, Edward Elgar experienced an unprecedented triumph with the premiere of his Enigma Variations. The event was celebrated as the rebirth of English music, which had played no international role for two centuries since the death of Henry Purcell. Only one question puzzled many: What exactly was the theme Elgar varied in his masterpiece? The composer absolutely refused to reveal it, and so speculation ran rampant. Had he used the British national anthem as a basis? Or Rule, Britannia! or the folk song Auld Lang Syne? To this day, no one has unraveled the mystery… Tchaikovsky, on the other hand, left no question unanswered when it came to his Fourth Symphony: He gave it a precise program. At its heart is “faith, the fatal power that thwarts our pursuit of happiness and ceaselessly poisons our soul.” But what music he wrote for it! Whether Tchaikovsky or Elgar: on this festival evening, they are in the best hands. The Berlin Philharmonic and Kirill Petrenko guarantee a romantic sound that could not be more sensual.

Program:
6:30 p.m. Pre-concert talk with Susanne Stähr (KKL Lucerne, Auditorium)

Edward Elgar (1857–1934)
Enigma Variations, Op. 36

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36

Intermission at approximately 8:10 p.m.

Tickets available from March 24, 2026 | 10:00 AM (CET)