Bach — and beyond. For the grand finale of Lucerne Festival Pulse, Víkingur Ólafsson himself takes the stage to perform the composer’s famous F minor Piano Concerto. Following intermission, Hong Kong-born maestra Elim Chan leads the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Brahms’s Fourth Symphony — a work that likewise bears Bach’s influence. The finale’s Passacaglia theme, which Brahms transforms with masterly skill, comes from Bach’s earliest surviving cantata, Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich (“For Thee, O Lord, I Long”), BWV 150. Even in Berg’s Violin Concerto — “one of the most Romantic ever,” as Víkingur calls it — a Bach reference appears in the form of a quote from the chorale Es ist genug (“It Is Enough”). For this performance, he has invited his favorite violinist, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, entrusting her with a special role: instead of an encore, she will play the original chorale. The orchestra will sing along, and the audience is invited to join in. “That’s something I’m not sure has ever been done at Lucerne Festival,” Víkingur says. “But the question is, can we really ever have enough of music?” The answer is clear: no — nor of Lucerne Festival Pulse, which will return for its second edition in 2027.

EPSG:4326

Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Elim Chan | Víkingur Ólafsson | Patricia Kopatchinskaja

KKL Luzern Concert Hall

Our 65th Anniversary Season opens with ECHOES — a concert that blends traditions of remembrance and celebration. Inspired by All Saints Day and Día de los Muertos, this program highlights the power of music to uplift, connect, and bring joy. From David Conte’s Three Mexican Folk Songs to Dan Forrest’s Introit-Kyrie from Requiem for the Living, Ēriks Ešenvalds’ O Salutaris Hostia to Bach’s Dona Nobis Pacem, and more, the afternoon unfolds in a rich tapestry of sound.

Echoes

San Dieguito United Methodist Church

St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral

Four centuries of beauty – gems by Bach, Mozart, a Schumann masterpiece in the hands of a 
major European soloist and a Toronto composer’s poignant new oboe concerto

VIRTUOSITY  Keys and Reeds

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts

Featuring gems by Bach and Mozart, a Schumann masterpiece in the hands of a major European soloist, and a Toronto composer’s poignant new oboe concerto.

Sinfonia Toronto presents: Virtuosity

Signature Performance: Euphonium-Tuba Institute Recital

Guilford College

Iris Ingelfinger, viola

Northwestern Bienen School of Music

All Longy students present full recitals as part of their education and ongoing evolution as artists. They are charged with thinking critically about what stories they tell, whose voices to amplify, and who’s in the room for their event while also considering how to use performance spaces in innovative ways and how to truly engage audiences and create interactive music experiences.

Johannes Sebastian Bach

Events

Past events

May 17, 2026

Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Elim Chan | Víkingur Ólafsson | Patricia Kopatchinskaja · Lucerne Festival

1 - 2 Nov, 2025

Echoes · San Diego Master Chorale

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