The Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy kicks off its 68th edition, showcasing internationally acclaimed artists and embracing transformation. Artistic Director Christoph Müller highlights the festival’s evolution, featuring new concert formats and venues, such as the Eggli’s panoramic terrace, and a mix of classical and contemporary performances.

Christoph Müller, the 68th Gstaad Menuhin Festival opens this week. The title of this year’s edition is Transformation as part of the three-year cycle “Change”. In your opinion, how much transformation has the festival already undergone since its premiere?
A festival must and should constantly change. Remaining in the status quo means standing still. We live in a fast-moving age, and it is natural for a classical music festival to change.

Is this transformation evident at the Gstaad festival this summer?
Yes, about 20% of our concerts feature new and unusual formats, diverging from traditional classical music. This year, we’ve expanded these efforts, including a new venue on the Eggli’s panoramic terrace. The Vision String Quartet will perform standing and without sheet music, transitioning from Bloch and Shostakovich to jazz and folk. The event will flow into a live electronic performance with DJ and violinist Seth Schwarz, blending house, techno, and electro with classical improvisation. We’re partnering with Plausch Events to make this exciting for all ages.

Do big names like Jonas Kaufmann, Hélène Grimaud, Vilde Frang, and Daniel Hope need to be advertised? Don’t they guarantee full houses?
Our communication focuses on content, not just stars. We want audiences to come for Grimaud’s Brahms and Beethoven or Kaufmann’s Tristan by Wagner, not just their fame. We promote all concerts, whether featuring stars or newcomers. With 1800 seats in the festival tent, concerts don’t sell out immediately. However, in the church concerts, the top seats are often taken early, which is great to see.

How do you identify new musicians who will captivate the audience in Gstaad?
It’s a gut feeling. With the “Menuhin’s Heritage Artists” project, I selected a few artists to feature over five festivals. Some, like Nemanja Radulovic, Bomsori Kim, and Andreas Ottensamer, are now stars. We’ve developed 20 to 30 names through these projects, and they now attract their own audiences.

What can you reveal about the opening concert?
In my opinion, the “Collegium Vocale Gent” choir from Belgium is the best choir in Europe and its conductor, Philippe Herreweghe, is a legend and a “pope” of classical and baroque music. What a privilege to have these artists in combination with the Camerata Salzburg for the double concert of the opening weekend!

Are the “big-city” concert buses still in use?
Yes, we still run concert buses from Bern, Lausanne, and Zurich. It’s a sustainable travel option. This year, we’re also partnering with SBB to offer discounted public transport for ticket holders.

Who should we not miss this summer festival?
There are exciting debuts, such as that of the Japanese classical jazz pianist Hayato Sumino or the young piano high-flyer Yunchan Lim. For me, however, the two symphony concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, a world-class orchestra with Holst’s “Planets” and Mahler’s 1st Symphony, and the 7th Bruckner under the direction of Jaap van Zweden with the Gstaad Festival Orchestra are the highlights. It makes me very happy that we can experience such programmes here.

BASED ON AVS | JENNY STERCHI

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