Zubin Mehta leads the Israel Philharmonic in another program of Webern’s music on Aug
Rudolf Baumgartner conducts the Festival Strings Lucerne in the world premiere of B. Trumpy’s composition for recorder and cello on Aug. 18. 26 a new work by Filippo del Corno shares a program with Berio’s latest string quartet, “Notturno for Ensemble,” and “Five Movements for String Quartet” by Webern, who was accidentally killed 50 years ago by an American soldier. 23.
Three piano quintets are contrasted in a concert on Aug. 27: Bartok’s Piano Quintet (1904, revised in 1920), Webern’s Piano Quintet (1907) and Brahms’s Casual Dating Seiten Piano Quintet, op. 34 (1865).$
Barbara Bonney, soprano, and Jennifer Larmore, mezzo-soprano, sing Mahler’s “Rukertlieder” on May 1 with the Vienna Philharmonic under Riccardo Muti, and concert performances of “Friedenstag,” a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, and Prokofiev’s “War and Peace” are scheduled on May 29 and June 13, respectively.
Other highlights: Arvo Part’s “Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten,” Haydn’s “Trauersymphonie” No. 44 and Stabat Mater, Brahms’s “Haydn Variations,” Bruckner’s Third Symphony, Shlomo Mintz performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and a cello recital by Janos Starker. On June 29 the Collegium Vocale of Ghent, celebrating its 25th anniversary, offers an all-Bach program under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe.
The 50th anniversary of Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes” is the occasion for a gala concert on June 17 devoted to Mahler’s “Funeral March” and the Allegro from Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, Berg’s “Three Fragments From ‘Wozzeck,’ ” Shostakovich’s “Interludes From ‘Katerina Izmaylova’ ” and Britten’s “Sinfonia da Requiem” and “Four Sea Interludes” and the “Passacaglia” from “Peter Grimes.”
Established at the end of World War II, the festival observes its 50th anniversary with the traditional opening performance of Smetana’s “My Country” with Libor Pesek conducting the Czech Philharmonic. As the closing work, Jiri Belohlavek leads the Slovak Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Tributes to Shostakovich and Bartok include Vladimir Krainev playing Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto and the Moscow Virtuosi under Mr. Spivakov performing Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14, Bartok’s Divertimento for String Orchestra and Lutoslawski’s “Musique Funebre for String Orchestra in Memory of Bartok.”
Among the other operas are Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s “Soldaten,” Schnittke’s “Life With an Idiot,” Mozart’s “Magic Flute” and “Clemenza di Tito,” Puccini’s “Tosca,” Wagner’s “Lohengrin,” Britten’s “Turn of the Screw” and Richard Strauss’ “Friedenstag.”
Among ensembles from Russia are the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov, the Russian National Orchestra of Moscow under Mikhail Pletnev and the Moscow Philharmonic under Vassili Sinaiski.
Verdi’s “Rigoletto” opens the season of operatic spectacles — six operas in five productions — in the 20,000-seat Roman Arena. It is repeated on July 13, 15 and 23 and Aug. 1, 12, 16 and 23. The traditional pairing of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” follows on July 8 and is repeated on July 14, 21 and 29 and Aug. 4 and 9.
Recitalists include the guitarist Alexandre Lagoya on May 11, the soprano Barbara Hendricks on June 19, the cellist Maria Kliegel on June 30, the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter on Sept. 1 and the mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender with the pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja in “Die Schone Magelone” by Brahms on Dec. 2.
Two world premieres and two Polish premieres spark interest, along with major contemporary works like Penderecki’s “Paradise Lost” and Schnittke’s “Life With an Idiot.” Hindemith, Bartok and Webern are remembered.
On Aug
The Lucerne Festival Orchestra performs Korngold’s “Schauspiel Overture” on , which includes the world premiere of “Les Petits Adieux” for baritone and orchestra by Berthold Goldschmidt and closes with Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” Another Korngold work, the Third String Quartet, is performed by the Sine Nomine Quartet on Aug. 31.