Sir George Benjamin is not only one of the most important composers of our time but also a great conductor. Which is why we have invited him to the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) in both capacities. Benjamin will perform two completely different concertos with the young musicians. As Luciano Berio’s paradoxical title indicates, his work Solo keeps the solo trombone and orchestra from interacting with each other as in a traditional concerto; instead, he stages a “meeting of two solitudes.” The soloist will be Jörgen van Rijen, principal trombone of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra who for this evening takes on a “side gig.” Meanwhile, in Benjamin’s own Concerto for Orchestra from 2021, the orchestra itself is the star: it dances and revels, each group of instruments taking the spotlight to show off their potential and specific musicians frequently stepping forward to deliver dazzling solos. “This piece is the most virtuoso thing I’ve composed in a long time,” says Benjamin. Hans Abrahamsen’s Vers le Silence, also premiered in 2021, likewise proves to be a celebration of timbral colors, with its four movements striving towards silence as the goal of all music.