Cowbells, swing classics and, later, electronic beats: the Eggli brought together musical worlds that might not seem like obvious companions. Under the Menuhin Festival’s theme “Family Matters”, the Swingin’ Hermlins, Natascha Polké and Kellerkind showed that a good groove does not necessarily care about genres – or generations.

Cowbells rather than concert bells greeted guests as they stepped out of the gondola at the Eggli. With the mountains stretching out beyond the terrace, it was a suitably relaxed beginning to an evening that would move from the golden age of swing to electronic music after dark.

Andrej Hermlin opened the first part of the evening with a cheerful “Guten Abend”, taking the audience straight back to the 1930s and 40s. Elegant clothes, vintage microphones and music stands completed the picture, while classics including Stormy Weather, A-Tisket, A-Tasket and Taking a Chance on Love set the musical tone.

But a Swingin’ Hermlins concert is not only about the music. Hermlin introduced the songs with stories about their composers and the period in which they were written, often adding a little family humour of his own. His daughter Rachel responded to her father’s teasing with smiles and quick retorts, bringing some of the informal atmosphere of the family’s famous living-room concerts to the Eggli.

Those daily concerts, livestreamed during the pandemic, brought the Berlin-based musical family an international following. On the Eggli, that same sense of familiarity was evident between the musicians: exchanged glances, whispered comments and plenty of good-natured teasing alongside some impressive solos.

The audience quickly joined in, swaying, laughing and applauding enthusiastically. When Andrej Hermlin eventually announced that it was time to say goodbye, a disappointed “ohhh” travelled through the crowd. A standing ovation brought the quintet back for one final number, Bei Mir Bistu Shein.

During the interval, attention briefly shifted from the stage to the surroundings. The last sunlight cast the mountain peaks in soft violet tones while darker clouds gathered above the side valleys. By the time darkness had properly settled over the Eggli, the evening was ready to change gear.

When swing meets electronic music
The transition was surprisingly seamless. As the first beats from Swiss live-electronic artist Natascha Polké sounded, the musicians of the Swingin’ Hermlins joined her for a brief jam session.

For a few minutes, both musical worlds shared the stage: swing meeting electronic music, past meeting present.

Then the chairs disappeared almost as quickly as the swing musicians had left them, clearing the terrace for dancing.

Polké does more than a conventional DJ set, combining electronic beats with live vocals and keyboard to create atmospheric soundscapes that gradually drew the audience into a very different kind of concert.

Kellerkind took over for the final part of the night. The Solothurn DJ and producer, a long-standing name on the Swiss house and techno scene, knew how to keep the crowd waiting: building towards a drop, holding it back for another moment and then finally letting it loose.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was how many people stayed.

Rather than one audience leaving after the swing concert and another arriving for the electronic sets, generations mixed on the dance floor. Younger guests and Best Agers danced side by side, and an evening that could easily have felt like two separate events became one.

That was perhaps where the Festival’s “Family Matters” theme worked best. It was present in the Hermlin family on stage, but also in the audience – and in the idea that several decades of musical evolution need not matter very much when the rhythm is right.

Two organisers, one idea
The Eggli evening was a collaboration between the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and PlauschEvents. While the Festival is rooted in classical music, PlauschEvents regularly brings electronic music to unusual locations around the region.

For Mountain Spirit | Swing & Electro, the two concepts met on the Eggli: the Swingin’ Hermlins opened the evening before Natascha Polké, and Kellerkind took it into the night.

Mountain Spirit | Swing & Electro
The Swingin’ Hermlins, Natascha Polké & Kellerkind (Stil vor Talent)
6 August 2026, Eggli Berghaus Terrace

Based on AvS | Andrea von Allmen
Photos: © Menuhin Festival Gstaad / Bailey Davidson