“Rhythm ’n’ Loops”

• Percussion ensemble of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO)
• João Carlos Pacheco drums

Sometimes all it takes is simply clapping your hands to create complex yet deeply grooving rhythms. In keeping with the Festival theme “American Dreams,” a percussion quartet from the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) presents four works by Steve Reich, including his iconic Clapping Music and Drumming. One of the masterminds of American Minimalism, Reich sets simple motifs and rhythms in continuous loops, gradually shifting them against one another to create intricate polyrhythmic patterns with a mesmerizing flow.

In the Streets: City Stage
Step outside! The music doesn’t happen only at the KKL – it’s taking over all of Lucerne. For six days, from 25 to 30 August, “In the Streets: City Stage” brings the whole city to life with music. We’ve reimagined this “festival within the Festival” to integrate it more closely with our main program. Doreen Ketchens, America’s “Queen Clarinet,” traces the origins of jazz in the melting pot of New Orleans – and so do the Dixie-Ramblers, a Swiss marching band. A yellow hot-air balloon lands in Lucerne, doubling as a pop-up installation and a miniature concert hall. Sound walks along the Musegg Wall sharpen our ears for the city’s diverse soundscape. A percussion quartet captivates with Minimalist rhythms. And the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) becomes a “Symphonic Jukebox.”