This year's summer festival in Lucerne promises to be another sensational month of music, featuring some of the world's most revered artists and orchestras, with appearances from AH artists forming an integral part of the season.

The first of six AH conductors stepping up to the podium is Bernard Haitink, who continues his 90th birthday celebrations by conducting two concerts with two orchestras: Schubert Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major and Mahler Symphony No. 4 in G major with Chamber Orchestra of Europe; and Beethoven and Bruckner with the Vienna Philharmonic. Emanuel Ax jumps in to perform Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major for the performance on 6 September, also performing the work with Bernard and the Vienna Philharmonic at Salzburg Festival and the BBC Proms.

Following a summer filled with festival appearances in London, Salzburg and Montréal, Yannick Nézet-Séguin appears in Lucerne to lead the Lucerne Festival Orchestra on 22 August in a performance of Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major with soloist Leonidas Kavakos and Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 in C minor.

Sir George Benjamin leads the Ensemble and Orchestra of the Lucerne Festival Academy in two concerts this summer. The first concert on the 25 August sees George conduct the Ensemble of the Lucerne Festival Academy in a programme consisting of his own At First Light, and Wolfgang Rihm’s (the Artistic Director of the Lucerne Festival Academy) Jagden und Formen for orchestra. George’s second concert is with the Orchestra of the Lucerne Festival Academy on 1 September, and he will conduct Rihm’s Marsyas, his own Palimpsests and Dieter Ammann’s Glut.

During his time in Lucerne, George will also work with eight young composers who are part of Wolfgang Rihm’s Young Composers Seminar.

Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra return to Lucerne for two performances. On 9 September, acclaimed Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan joins the ensemble to sing Hans Abrahamsen's let me tell you for soprano and orchestra. Simon and the LSO will close out the concert with Olivier Messiaen's Éclairs sur l’Au-Delà … for large orchestra. The following night, Simon and the orchestra will present three symphonic favourites; Haydn Symphony No. 101 in D major, Britten's The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 in E minor.

Following his final run of performances as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Harding will lead the Royal Concertgebouw in a concert performance of Act II of Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde on 4 September, featuring Stuart Skelton and Christine Goerke in the respective title roles.

Another thrilling operatic concert performance will see Christina Gansch and Robert Lloyd appearing as Zerlina and Commendatore respectively in Mozart's Don Giovanni on 14 September. Conductor Teodor Currentzis leads the musicAeterna ensemble for this performance.

Three revered AH soloists will also make appearances in Lucerne this year, across the orchestral and recital platforms. Under conductor Jakub Hrůša, Emmanuel Pahud will perform the Mozart Flute Concerto in G major alongside the Mahler Chamber Orchestra on 27 August. Vilde Frang will appear alongside Lahav Shani and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra on 7 September to perform the seminal Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor. On 3 September, pianist Daniel Lebhardt will make his Lucerne Festival debut, performing a beautiful recital programme of Bach Partita in E minor, Bartok's Out of Doors and Brahms Four Piano Pieces.

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will also make a return appearance to Lucerne this year on 23 August as part of their AH managed world tour. Led by Music Director Long Yu, the orchestra will perform Qigang Chen's Wu Xing (The Five Elements), Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, with soloist Frank Peter Zimmermann, and Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances.

For more information about this year's festival, check the official website. You can also watch the trailer for this year's summer festival below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGClaG1ZT2Y