Musical Summit: Verbier Festival 2017
Every summer great interpreters and the most promising talents meet in an exceptional alpine setting in the heart of the Swiss canton of Valais. The 24th edition of the Verbier Festival will take place from 21 July to 6 August 2017. Playlist curated by Corina Kolbe.
Read more…Listening to concerts in a village amidst a majestic mountain landscape is an unforgettable experience for music lovers accustomed to the frenetic rhythm of big cities. Martin T:son Engstroem, founder und executive director of the Festival, is enthusiastic about the unique atmosphere of Verbier where music merges with nature. For 17 days, the Festival offers a wide range of concerts with internationally renowned musicians and emerging artists.
Matinée and evening recitals will be held in the Church of Verbier which can accommodate 500 listeners. In this intimate setting the artists are very close to their audience. On the other hand, the Salle des Combins is the ideal concert stage for the Verbier Festival Orchestra, a symphony orchestra led by great conductors. In the Festival's main concert hall with 1700 seats in total, each row is on a separate tier, which guarantees an excellent view of the stage.
On the opening night Charles Dutoit, principal conductor of the Verbier Festival Orchestra since 2009, will present a concert version of the opera "Salome". Richard Strauss, inspired by Oscar Wilde's demonic stage play, caused a scandal with the opera's premiere in 1905. On June 27th Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct "Elektra", an equally well known work of the Bavarian composer. Antonio Pappano returns to the podium at Verbier with "A Hero's Life" whereas Gianandrea Noseda conducts Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony.
The Festival also invites outstanding pianists, such as András Schiff, Barry Douglas, Richard Goode, Nikolaï Lugansky, Evgeny Kissin, Vladimir Feltsman, Yefim Bronfman and Yuja Wang, as well as the rising stars Lucas Debargue, George Li and Francesco Piemontesi. Other famous artists including Vadim Repin, Renaud Capuçon, Joshua Bell und Janine Jansen will be on stage for a variety of chamber concerts. In our playlist we give you a taste of their musical skills.