From 18 to 23 November, the Philharmonie Luxembourg invites audiences to explore the contemporary music festival ‘rainy days’, dedicated to the theme ‘bodies’. This can lead to very special encounters, like a musical piece in which fitness equipment is transformed into musical instruments on stage.
The press release says: « While contemporary music is sometimes perceived as abstract or intellectual, rainy days 2025 choose to embody it – literally. The body becomes prism, instrument and resonating space, revealing the profound physical dimension of sound creation. Each performance, concert or installation reflects the presence of the body in music. Here, music is not only heard – it is felt and experienced. The question of the sounding bodies has been the guiding thread of this year’s program. »
« How does music take shape in the body? How does it enter and leave our bodies? How do our bodies speak through music? » explains Luxembourgish composer Catherine Kontz, Artistic Director of the festival. The 2025 edition promises to be rich and vibrant, with numerous world and Luxembourg premieres developed in collaboration with local partners.
The festival opens on the 18th of November at the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg, in collaboration with dancers from the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, and will continue with special performances at Mudam and as part of Luxembourg Art Week.
Audiences will be invited to take a short sensory stop at the Jardin du Multilinguisme in Kirchberg before the festival concludes with a final highlight at the Théâtre des Casemates.
Among the many remarkable events, the concert The orchestra: a body of sound on 20/11. brings together the Luxembourg Philharmonic and Ilya Gringolts to explore the orchestra as a living, breathing organism.
That same day, Any Table Any Room by Jonathan Burrows, Matteo Fargion and the Bozzini Quartet transform the stage into a playful space where every gesture becomes sound, in a joyful performance where even a potato becomes an instrument.
On 23/11., the Amstel Quartet brings together 100 saxophonists for an immersive, monumental experience, followed by Nage no kata, a striking encounter where judo and music come together.
On 22/11., Les Percussions de Strasbourg present a radical performance without instruments, using only the body as a source of sound. That same day, Musici Ireland performs Chronically Hopeful, a piece that invites audiences to experience the realities of chronic illness and invisible disability.
The festival also highlights the vitality of the Luxembourg scene, with Andrea Mancini, Georges Sadeler, Hy-Khang Dang, Independent Little Lies (ILL), Louisa Marxen, the Luxembourg Saxophone Association, Nataša Grujović, Nik Bohnenberger, Noise Watchers, the Luxembourg Philharmonic, Roby Glod and United Instruments of Lucilin.
The surrounding region is also represented, with Compagnie Ouate (Metz), Pony Says (Stuttgart), the collective lovemusic (Grand Est) and Les Percussions de Strasbourg.
Click here for the full program.
