I was there to find out about the future of the Lucerne Festival's remarkable orchestra, revived in 2003 by conductor Claudio Abbado and artistic director Michael Haefliger. Hand-picked by Abbado, the musicians formed an ensemble that instantly achieved remarkable things, with their concerts and recordings garnering the sort-of all-round rave reviews rarely seen. But when Abbado died last year, at the age of 80, the orchestra was left with the tough, emotionally-fraught question of what do next. With the announcement of Riccardo Chailly as the new artistic director, as of next year, the ensemble is entering a new era. I spoke to Haefliger and four of the musicians about what they think the future might hold. It was a privilege to speak to them and to hear them play, the first time I'd heard them live.
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