Advance ticket sales for the Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2021 started at the beginning of February. The festival’s London-themed concerts are to be performed in the presence of an audience. The organisers assure that those who buy tickets now are not taking any risks.

“We have a huge desire to experience live concerts again, and the need for direct, physical contact with the artists is immense. It is imperative that these needs be satisfied once again,” says a refreshingly optimistic statement on the website of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy AG.

Advance ticket sales started at the beginning of February. Business as usual, despite the lockdown and although no one knows what will happen in March. Does that make sense? “Yes, definitely,” says Christoph Müller, artistic director of the festival. The organisers also assure that they are accommodating and flexible in case of a concert cancellation.

Proved and tested precautionary measures
Müller assumes that people will be able to attend concerts again this summer – the festival runs from 16 July to 4 September. On the one hand, he believes that many people will be protected by the effect of the vaccinations by then and, on the other hand, the festival organisers have a tried and tested protection concept from the pop-up festival last August, which they can not only apply again this year, but adapt and extend if needs be.

London
This year’s Gstaad Menuhin Festival is themed London. “The musical city of London was the pivotal point in the life of our festival founder Yehudi Menuhin,” Müller explains. Menuhin developed his musical identity in London, recorded his violin concerto with Sir Edward Elgar and met the composer Benjamin Britten. Finally, Menuhin settled in London with his family and founded the Menuhin School.

BASED ON AVS/KEREM S MAURER