Summer Festival from 26 July – 3 August
“Myths and Legends”
Klosters Music is in its seventh edition (26 July – 3 August 2025) and will be presenting a total of eleven concerts. The appeal of this growing classical music festival now radiates far beyond the region. Clarinettist Andreas Ottensamer, pianists Piotr Anderszewski and Nikolai Luganski, violinist Augustin Hadelich and the crazy virtuoso duo Igudesman & Joo will be making their debuts in Klosters. The Zurich Sing-Akademie is the second choir to be a guest at the festival.
This year’s theme is “Myths and Legends”. David Whelton, artistic director of the festival, has programmed some works that have to do with heroic figures and others that reflect myths and legends. Some of these will be showcased on the opening weekend with Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Coriolan” and “Prometheus” overtures, the “Nelson” Mass by Joseph Haydn, sung by the Zurich Sing-Akademie, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”).
Virtuoso concertos by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov
The closing weekend presents the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under conductor Jérémie Rhorer with a romantic programme in two concerts. In Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, the German-American violinist Augustin Hadelich has chosen one of the most famous virtuoso works in the repertoire.
The Russian pianist Nikolai Luganski will be performing Sergej Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto. “Especially when it comes to Rachmaninov, Luganski is one of the most important interpreters in the world,” emphasises David Whelton. On the final weekend (2/3 August) Klosters Music will also be on the trail of myths and legends with the overtures to the operas “The Flying Dutchman” by Richard Wagner and “Der Freischütz” by Carl Maria von Weber.
Room for chamber music
Chamber music will be given more prominence in the coming edition. To begin with, the young Amatis Trio will discover “In Arcadia” at their concert at Atelier Bolt (29 July). The exhibition “Myths and Legends” by Graubünden artist Patrick Devonas, which can be viewed afterwards (opening on 27 July), will make the art experience even richer for visitors. Furthermore, clarinettist Andreas Ottensamer, the Schumann Quartet and double bassist Uxía Martínez-Botana will perform works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy at St. Jacob’s Church (“Amongst Friends” on 28 July). Sir András Schiff will also be performing twice at the same venue. His recital (“Romantic Spirits” on 31 July) is dedicated entirely to the Romantic period. The following recital by mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska, with Schiff as piano accompanist, will also be dedicated to the 19th century, with works by Robert Schumann (“Liederkreis” op. 39), Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Johannes Brahms.
Family concert, farewell tour and film music
The family concert presents Sergei Prokofiev’s musical fairy tale “Peter and the Wolf”. With animations designed for Klosters Music and shown on a large screen, the exciting story is set in the Grisons mountains. The children are up close and involved in the action so they can cheer to see whether Peter really will catch the bad wolf in the end. On the Swiss national holiday, the internationally acclaimed duo Igudesman & Joo will be stopping off in Klosters on their farewell tour to take a different approach to classical music with their ground-breaking arrangements and glorious chaos. An evening full of surprises that will make both seasoned fans and newcomers laugh. The popular film music evening with live orchestra music is also back on the programme. The film “Chicago”, which has won six Oscars and is based on the musical of the same name, takes us back to the 1920s (30 July). The City Light Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kevin Griffiths brings the captivating sex-and-crime story to life and gets the music grooving in the concert hall of the Arena Klosters.
December 2024