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Music often reveals itself by what it withholds. A sudden break, an unfinished page, a door left half open: these denials of access can be as telling as any completed cadence.
It is within this landscape of fragments and continuities that Swiss violinist David Nebel makes an important debut. No stranger to Lucerne, Nebel was born in nearby Zurich and lived in the city for several years; his family still calls it home.
Now, at just 28, he returns in a new role to make his Lucerne Festival debut as part of the prestigious Debut series, with a lunchtime recital at the Lukaskirche that explores unfinished and open-ended works by Mozart, Ravel and Shostakovich, rounded out by Franck’s great Violin Sonata. His partner at the keyboard will be Julia Hamos.
Nebel thoughtfully curated his programme to reflect this summer’s ’Open End’ theme at Lucerne. The 2025 edition of the festival embraces many meanings of openness, from works left unfinished or indeterminate in form to the creative freedom of a new generation of musicians. It acknowledges the symbolic close – and opening – of an era as Michael Haefliger bids farewell after 26 years as executive and artistic director.
For Nebel, making his festival debut within this framework carries both personal and artistic significance. Alongside his flourishing solo career, the violinist has held the position of concertmaster with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin since 2022, a dual path that has sharpened his artistry in different ways. Here, he reflects on what this debut means, the interplay of his professional roles and the allure of musical incompleteness.
What does making your Lucerne Festival debut mean to you at this moment in your career?
David Nebel: It’s a great honour to make my debut at the Lucerne Festival. Lucerne plays an important role in my life – I lived there for several years and still have family in the city – so returning and participating at the Lucerne Festival is meaningful for me.
I also value the opportunity to perform chamber music and solo repertoire alongside my role as concertmaster of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Music offers such a broad spectrum that it is never possible to be satisfied with only one perspective.
How does that dual role – as concertmaster in Berlin and soloist – shape the way you play?
David Nebel: It is inspiring, but also challenging for me to perform in a different context as in my current professional role as concertmaster. My work as concertmaster over the past two and a half years has had a significant impact on me as a musician. In the orchestra, the focus is on making chamber music across a large structure – listening carefully to all sections, understanding textures, and ensuring clarity.
The role requires precise musical communication, and it has been invaluable to collaborate with leading conductors and musicians on the great symphonic repertoire. These experiences have shaped my approach to solo playing as well.
Each year, the summer edition of Lucerne Festival focuses on a specific theme. For 2025, the theme is ‘Open End’ – the unfinished-ness of music, in a sense. Did the theme guide your choices for your programme? Do you sense a narrative or thread that binds the four sonatas together?
David Nebel: The programme includes Mozart’s Sonata in A major, K. 402, Ravel’s early posthumous Sonata, Shostakovich’s unfinished Sonata, and Franck’s Sonata. It relates closely to the Festival’s Open End theme. Mozart and Shostakovich left incomplete works; Ravel’s early sonata reads almost like a sketch toward his later voice; and Franck’s Sonata achieves openness through its cyclic form, constantly transforming themes.
For me, the four works create a strong thread around the idea of continuity and incompleteness in music.
Mozart’s K. 402 and Shostakovich’s unfinished sonata offer rare glimpses into compositional processes. How do you approach these fragmentary works compared to something like Franck’s Sonata?
David Nebel: Performers always aim to understand a score and form an interpretation. With unfinished sonatas, the challenge is that they remain fragments rather than fully developed structures. That quality must be acknowledged rather than hidden. At the same time, the music itself is clear, and the abrupt endings leave space for speculation about what the composers might have intended. The absence of closure is part of their interest and creates additional tension.
Which of these sonatas speaks to you personally – or challenges you most as a violinist?
David Nebel: Each sonata presents its own demands. The Mozart, Ravel, and Shostakovich were discoveries for me and required a fresh approach. Franck’s Sonata, on the other hand, has been familiar to me since childhood and remains one of the most significant works in the repertoire.
Looking ahead, are there other ‘unfinished’ works or hidden gems you dream of exploring?
David Nebel: There are relatively few unfinished works for violin and piano, but the theme highlights material that is often overlooked. Engaging with these pieces has been musically rewarding. I would be happy to have further opportunities to explore and present rarely performed repertoire.
David Nebel plays his debut recital at Lucerne Festival on Tuesday 2 September 2025, with Julia Hamos at the keyboard.
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