About the 67th Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy and how music in the magnificent settings of Saanenland can spiral us up

Humility as a Theme
“… Thanks for all the joy (music) is bringing. Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty: What would life be? … Thank you for the music, for giving it to me.”

So went the ABBA song in 1977, and the kids were singing it out loud, learning about gratitude and humility, how music is given to us, too magnificent to be just one person’s creation. The beauty of the Saanenland landscape does that to us also.

So, it is only natural if the Gstaad Menuhin Festival makes Humility its theme. Humility in all its possible meanings, as “the times they are a’changin”, and awareness is growing. Not with the idea of bringing the world’s problems into the concert venue and spoiling the lightness of the night out. On the contrary, it reminds us of the bigger picture that we are a part of, making us conscious of how much we need the beauty of nature to go on. You can still close your eyes, just to listen to the music and the silence of the enveloping mountains.

One, Two, Four Hands on the Piano
An exciting performance to watch will be Yuja Wang’s left-hand piano solos in conversation with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major, commissioned in 1929 by the pianist Paul Wittgenstein after he lost his right arm in the war. Dark tragic tones are brought out by the left hand on that side of the keyboard, but also a jazzy melody. Not one but two concerts for piano and orchestra did Ravel compose almost synchronically. Yuja Wang, therefore, also brings us the Concerto in G Major before walking us through Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition on the Promenade theme.

Synchronicity also with the tremendous Labèque sisters in a piano duo, with Jaap van Zweden conducting the Gstaad Festival Orchestra.

For Ear & Eye - Worlds Created on Stage
Are music lovers mostly listeners? Partly closing their eyes, partly focusing on the beauty of the soloists or singers on stage. With the soprano Pretty Yende or the violinist Gil Shaham performing, a concert certainly is a treat for the eye too. Then there is the show of Ute Lemper’s rendez-vous with Marlene Dietrich.

But the Festival also offers different experiences: Beethoven’s Pastorale and Shostakovich’s Passacaglia in an audiovisual performance: A concept by violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, combined with Lani Tran-Duc’s stage design and Tabea Rotfuchs & Ruth Stofer’s Videos.

A visual narrative is also in the video installations by architect Hakan Demirel for Alice Sara Ott performing Chopin’s 24 Preludes. Images reflect the music and evoke emotions.

Puccini’s Tosca then shows how the orchestra can create the atmosphere of the opera in this semistaged concert performance. The music is packed with information. Each character has a telling motif. The orchestra has a central role in propelling the drama and the scenery. When Riccardo Massi brings ‘E lucevan le stelle’, you see them sparkle in your mind. And if you cannot make it to Gstaad that night, you can follow Sonya Yoncheva and the Gstaad Festival Orchestra on tour and enjoy Tosca in Baden-Baden right after the Festival.

Seven Weeks of Wonders
The Festival will span out on seven weeks in the summer of 2023 – from July 14 to September 2 – with a huge offering of world-class musical programs. A variety where everyone can find something to discover or enjoy. Various venues also include room for symphonies in the tent (as briefly introduced here), a digital space, and all the concerts in the churches. Artistic Director Christophe Müller brought it all together, making the Festival attractive for musicians and the public alike. Much more info can be found on the website and in the program.

Tickets are now on sale for the 67th Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy under the theme of Humility – Cycle “Change” I. I.

The question is:

Are you ready for something new ?

GISELA VAN BULCK