Did you know that some say that Ludwig van Beethoven was not born in Bonn in 1770, as was documented, but in 1772 in the Dutch town of Zutphen?

If so, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival is the only Festival worldwide to celebrate the 250th birthday this year. Fake news? Nevermind; this circumstance is primarily a reminder that questions about truth and fact in history depend on the point of view. And that the essence of music lies elsewhere: in the pleasure of sharing the most beautiful sides of Beethoven's genius during a whole summer and, in the broader field of vision, being intoxicated by the infinite richness of “his” city of Vienna. The home of the waltz and its most famous protagonist Johann Strauss, as well as the ground-breaking innovations of Arnold Schönberg.

But the fact remains that this year’s festival is a shower of stars and to name a few: countertenor Philippe Jaroussky in “celestial music” with Christina Pluhar's L'Arpeggiata, Actor Klaus Maria Brandauer will offer a reading on Beethoven together with pianist Sebastian Knauer. Juan Diego Flórez is back in Gstaad with the young people from his magnificent “Sinfonía por el Perú” project. Finally, conductor René Jacobs will open his 66th edition with the “Missa in tempore belli” at the head of the RIAS Kammerchor and the Freiburger Barockorchester.

Two operas in concert form: Beethoven's “Fidelio” under the baton of Jaap van Zweden and Mozart's “The Magic Flute” in a much-anticipated semistaged version hosted by Christophe Rousset and his Les Talens Lyriques. A grand finale for the first “class” of “Menuhin's Heritage Artists”, who were unable to crown their five-year collaboration with the Festival in 2020.

Outstanding recitals and chamber concerts in the region's magnificent churches.

Musical encounters on new paths, including the DDC Dancefloor Destruction Crew (…when Mozart meets breakdance), the “alpine” ensemble Federspiel Austria, the star accordionist Ksenja Sidorova together with the mandolinist Avi Avital. The “Philharmonix – The Vienna Berlin Music Club” and the traditional concert on the alp above Lauenen with a brass and percussion ensemble of the Gstaad Festival Orchestra.

This is only a fraction of the program; click here for further information