The Lucerne Festival is reporting 72 percent capacity for this summer’s festival.
That’s an improvement on the past two Covid summers but it is still well short of expectations and economic targets.
In all, 70,000 people attended 86 events in 35 days.
As in fromage, there re unplanned holes.
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Didn’t they go woke this year?
Well for one thing, you don’t have Abbado around, giving his final ‘interpretations’ on the Mahler symphonies. That would be a tough act for anyone to follow.
Not surprising. Unimaginating programs (I would expect much more from Chailly in his programs with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra), same orchestras playing the same repertoire every summer, and very expensive ticket prices. This festival needs a shake.
Can’t understand it. I mean who would not want to go to a festival where the word “diversity” is shoved down your throat from beginning to end? Don’t they realise it’s good for them?
So odd, it’s almost as if people don’t like being told what to think and what to like. Idiots!
Well said. We are suffering here in the US, too.
Maybe the prices of the tickets didn’t help..
Let‘s say they were not very „diverse“ in their ticket prices, neither were the hotels in Lucerne. It was a self-serving show of „diversity“ for the upper few % of society who can afford the woke flavor of the day. „Look how woke and progressive we are.“
In their defense: they have progressive programming, lots of concerts with contemporary music. Performed mostly by their academy orchestra. (who works for little salary we assume, if any)
So at the end of the day Lucerne is only a show of the major social problem our societies face: the destruction of the middle class, the increasing division between the 1% greedy fat cats on the top and the rest. The expropritation of the productive and producers by the owners.
At some point such festivals will not function anymore, unless the few culturally enclined rich people also buy themselves not only the artists, but also the audiences, to feel not so lonely while enjoying the music.
Still a good amount of babyboomers around with decent pensions. But once that group with excessive income and excess time for cultural participation is gone, I predict doom for the expensive festivals.
Due to the overvalued Swiss Franc ticket prices are astronomical. And so is everything that goes along with a visit to Lucerne – five dollar (i.e. five franc) cups of coffee, tram rides, even fast food prices are double what they are in New York City, which is hardly a cheap city.
It’s too bad, because the concert hall is wonderful, one of the best modern concert halls anywhere.
Indeed. A trip to Lucerne festival for a few days for a couple of concerts for two people: easily 5,000 $/€ spent or more.
The hall is superb. The immediate surroundings “diverse”. Beautiful lakeside. Messy and noisy (traffic and youngster nightlife) landside.
The Hall is big and it’s like Salzburg though they always cheat and include all the discounted they sell or even give free in their end results and justify their horrendous prices for quality of their shows – many were mediocre
Economic uncertainty with inflation running amok. For the moment the Brussels opera house is holding its own but it will depend on how the economy pans out further down the line and what measures the EU decides to take. It is in talks.
I am attending the first performance of The Queen of Spades tomorrow. It’s virtually sold out.
I found the prices for many symphonic events this year extraordinary. Add 2-3 nights’ hotel and you hit 1000-plus. Could that be it?
Agreed. The price of tickets and just the general price of Lucerne is astronomical and that was surely a deterrent. I was fortunate enough to be there and was absolutely thrilled by performances by the Philadelphia, Cleveland, and London orchestras. Great festival and I wish they could figure out how to make it more accessible to those other than just the very wealthy: