Violinist

The grand opening of the anniversary edition kicks off with the first of three concerts by this year’s Gstaad Conducting Academy: it offers a sneak peek into the creative process of young conductors, who, in their inaugural week, collaborate with a carefully chosen selection from the outstanding Gstaad Festival Orchestra. In a chamber orchestra setting, these accomplished conductors, who emerged victorious among approximately 200 competitors during the application phase, will delve into a varied repertoire featuring excerpts from Beethoven’s symphonies, overtures and the dazzling “Rococo Variations” by Peter Tchaikovsky. The latter will be brought to life by cellist Christopher Jepson, who has been a steadfast soloist with the Gstaad Festival Orchestra since its inception. Make sure not to miss the second part of this week on August 9th at the Saanen Church, where the captivating Menuhin’s Heritage Artist Lucienne Renaudin Vary will grace the stage with her trumpet.

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Gstaad Conducting Academy – Concert I

Gstaad Festival Tent

Much like our Earth tirelessly orbiting the sun, the story of humanity is in constant motion. There are moments when groundbreaking changes gain momentum and reshape the course of history. Take 1789, for instance, when the French bourgeoisie’s dazzling, yet brutal quest for emancipation from the reigning monarch had a lasting impact on Europe and the world. Back then, many musicians joined the movement, expressing their feelings and political views through their compositions. Some, like Méhul or Cherubini, did so overtly, while others, such as Beethoven, took a more subtle approach, infusing their art with the ideals of “freedom, equality, and fraternity” without explicitly waving the protest flag. But music can be revolutionary even when not spurred by historical events. In Fazil Say’s Trumpet Concerto, centuries-old Western musical forms come together with Oriental sounds, deeply rooted in the Turkish composer’s heritage. The result: melodies that beckon, fascinate, and inspire, bridging the gap between the Orient and the Occident.

Revolutionen – Trans-formation III – Gstaad Festival Orchestra I

Saanen Church

For the tenth time, the Gstaad Conducting Academy participants take centre stage for the grand finale concert. After two weeks of intense work under the exceptional guidance of Jaap van Zweden and Johannes Schlaefli and accompanied by our Gstaad Festival Orchestra, the anniversary edition concludes with a flourish. It’s a special moment for everyone involved, especially as the prestigious Neeme Järvi Prize awaits, an honour that was bestowed just one year after the Academy’s inception for the first time. Over time, it has become a revered accolade, not only drawing interest from up to seven partner orchestras but also annually causing a stir in the professional world with the eagerly anticipated announcement: “And the winners are...”

Gstaad Conducting Academy – Birthday Edition – Concert II

The first grand symphonic concert of the summer with the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, conducted by Jaap van Zweden, is on the horizon. Bruckner’s most impassioned, luminous, and almost joyously exuberant Symphony No. 7 takes the spotlight, often dubbed the “Symphony of Tremolos”. The inaugural movement kicks off in a mysterious “primordial mist”, with violins crafting a long, softly played tremolo. The Adagio is especially notable, serving as a tribute to Richard Wagner. Bruckner had just started working on his Symphony No. 7 when his “blessed, dearly beloved, immortal master”, as Bruckner affectionately referred to Wagner, passed away in Venice in February 1883. In the Adagio, Bruckner introduces the Wagner tuba for the first time in one of his compositions, paired with a quote from Wagner’s Te Deum (“… non confundar in aeternum”: “In eternity, I shall not be confounded.”). Until then, the sombre tones of the Wagner tuba had not ventured beyond Wagner’s orchestra pit. Opening the evening is one of the most remarkable violinists of our era, Janine Jansen, Professor at the Haute école de musique Vaud Valais Fribourg (HEMU) in Sion and the newly appointed Artistic Co-Director of the Sion Festival. The Gstaad Festival Orchestra accompanies her in Mendelssohn’s famous E Minor Concerto.

The Heaven of Bruckner – Trans-cendence VII – Gstaad Festival Orchestra II

The most triumphal lyrical scenes amidst the Bernese Oberland ... now, that’s a rare spectacle! Also, we get to see a stellar cast led by Wagner experts Camilla Nylund and Jonas Kaufmann, both currently scaling the peaks of their careers. Kaufmann, who dazzled audiences in the title role of Tannhäuser at the 2023 Salzburg Festival, had previously mesmerised the audience with the second act of Tristan und Isolde in concertante performances in Boston and New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2018. Jonas Kaufmann knows exactly what resonates in Wagner’s world today. Starting off in the Gstaad Festival Tent and later moving to the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden (a regular venue for the Gstaad Festival Orchestra), the tenor unfolds the profound tension between heaven and earth: the longing for love and yearning for death. The role holds a treasure trove for Jonas Kaufmann!

Tristan Und Isolde – Trans-cendence IX – Gstaad Festival Orchestra III

Sounds of nature meet music of love: a festive Wagner evening featuring the glorious Good Friday Music from Parsifal and the second act of Tristan und Isolde. This Second Act is itself an opera within an opera: a never-ending love duet, performed here by a dream couple of Wagnerian singing, Jonas Kaufmann and Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund. And if you’ve always wondered why Wagner's music never seems to come to an end, it is clear from this love duet. Its enormous length allows the composer to explore the feeling of love like a landscape. The fact that Wagner's characters are heroes heightens our awareness of the armor they have to cast off.

Jonas Kaufmann & Camilla Nylund

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

The audience gets a unique opportunity to feel the opera rush from the mythical Bayreuth Festival. The tradition of playing operas by Richard Wagner in Bayreuth is long and is due to the composer's desire to perform his great works. He himself chose Bayreuth for his opera house, and the city has since been the center of the world-famous Wagner performances.

Sophia Stoyanovich

Violinist

Events

Aug 7, 2024

Gstaad Conducting Academy – Concert I · Gstaad Festival Orchestra

Aug 9, 2024

Revolutionen – Trans-formation III – Gstaad Festival Orchestra I · Gstaad Festival Orchestra

Aug 14, 2024

Gstaad Conducting Academy – Birthday Edition – Concert II · Gstaad Festival Orchestra

Aug 16, 2024

The Heaven of Bruckner – Trans-cendence VII – Gstaad Festival Orchestra II · Gstaad Festival Orchestra

Aug 23, 2024

Tristan Und Isolde – Trans-cendence IX – Gstaad Festival Orchestra III · Gstaad Festival Orchestra

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