World-class music returns to the heights of the Swiss Alps and beyond
Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy’s Pop-up Festival 2020: A winning mix of classical music stars and gems from Beethoven’s beloved repertoire
• Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy’s Pop-up Festival 2020 will be broadcast live from various venues in Switzerland’s idyllic Saanenland throughout August
• Within the Pop-up Festival, the series ‘Cosmos Beethoven’ comprises four concerts dedicated to the genius works of Beethoven in celebration of the composer’s 250th birthday, all streamed from the quaint Saanen Church in the dreamy village of Gstaad
• Leading musicians Sir András Schiff, Sol Gabetta, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Daniel Behle will all appear in this spectacular Beethoven series, running from 4 to 15 August 2020
• Audiences will be able to watch the live broadcasts on Gstaad Digital Festival’s website, which they can find if you click here
• Pianist Sir András Schiff will open the festival on 4 August at 6.30pm BST, with a sparkling performance of Beethoven’s brilliant final three piano sonatas: Piano Sonata No.30, Piano Sonata No. 31 and Piano Sonata No.32
• Then, Cellist Sol Gabetta will perform on 9 August at 6.30pm BST, in a captivating and expressive concert of two of Beethoven’s cello concertos, Cello Sonata No.1 and Cello Sonata No.5. Sol will also present Ferdinand Ries’ ‘Grande Sonate’ for Cello and Piano accompanied by pianist Alexander Melnikov
• Elsewhere, Tenor Daniel Behle will enchant viewers on 14 August at 6.30pm BST, in a concert entitled ‘The Lied in Beethoven’s Music’ with accompaniment by pianist Jan Schultsz. Daniel’s repertoire will encompass the impassioned ‘Ich liebe dich so wie du mich’ and ‘La Tiranna’
• To close the Cosmos Beethoven cycle, Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja will take to the stage on 15 August at 6.30pm BST, with virtuoso playing of two of Beethoven’s violin sonatas: Violin Sonata No.7 and Violin Sonata No.9. Patricia will also perform Arnold Schönberg’s intense Phantasy for Violin and Piano, and Anton Webern’s 4 Pieces for Violin and Piano alongside pianist Joonas Ahonen
• Speaking of the Pop-up Festival 2020, Artistic Director Christoph Müller said ‘By creating the Pop-Up-Festival 2020, we want to set an example of how to turn the crisis into an opportunity and keep the flame of the festival burning despite the impossibility of big events: András Schiff, Sol Gabetta, Patricia Kopatchinska and Daniel Behle, close partners of the Festival and who all live in Switzerland, have agreed to offer a contribution around Beethoven’s chamber music. With our digital platform “Gstaad Digital Festival”, we have already created the perfect conditions for reaching the audience via digital channels in 2017. We will tie Gstaad Digital Festival even more closely to our concert activities and open up even more intense ways of reaching the audience via digital channels, even beyond the time of the coronavirus pandemic.’
• Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy is also presenting ‘Jeunes Etoiles’ as part of the pop-up. This will feature a series of concerts from five up-and-coming talented musicians, who will perform in the region’s most beautiful churches, Gsteig Church and Rougemont Church, across the dates of 11, 12, 13, 20 and 21 August at 6.30pm BST. Viewers can also vote for their favourite performer from the 10th September, with the artist who obtains the most votes going on to secure a place to play at the 2021 Festival. Audiences can find out more by visiting Gstaad Digital Festival’s website, where they can also follow the live performances
Digital Festival Website click here
Festival Website click here
Academy Website click here
Orchestra Website click here
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