Travel to Switzerland

Swiss musical instrument

The alphorn is a wind instrument consisting of a natural wooden horn of conical bore and a cup-shaped mouthpiece, and it is used by mountain dwellers in Switzerland. This instruments are carved from solid softwood, and since they don't have lateral openings, the harmonic series of the open pipe are natural. Rossini introduced the melody Ranz des Vaches, a traditional melody from French Switzerland, into his opera William Tell, and Brahms was inspired by an alphorn melody he heard in the Rigi area of Switzerland when composing the great melody that opens the last movement of his First Symphony.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL PIANO

The festival focusing on keyboard instruments held in November, will take place for the ninth time in 2006. With its compact offer of classical and jazz piano music, modern and historic instruments, it is quite unique in Europe. Exhibitions, workshops, films, etc. on the topic of keyboard instruments will complement this offer. Among others, Hélène Grimaud, Lang Lang, Alfred Brendel and Evgeny Kissin will play at this festival. For the third time now, the PIANO Off-Stage! festival will take place in parallel to the classical concerts. For six days, eleven renowned jazz piano players from Germany, Italy, Greece, the U.S., and Switzerland will present a true fireworks of their virtuosity at eleven choice localities in the town of Lucerne.

For more information go to www.lucernefestival.ch