Following six weeks of magic the Menuhin Festival 2009 is preparing for the last weekend… of spellbinding music! On Friday, 4 September, one of the greatest singers of our time, Slovakian soprano Edita Gruberova, will offer a “Best of” programme with arias by Mozart, Donizetti, Bellini and Thomas (a veritable festival within the festival!) and accompanied by the Baden-Baden Philharmonie. On Saturday, 5 September, young artists are featured in a morning recital of piano music for two and four hands at the Chapel in Gstaad, and in the evening the apotheosis of the festival: a symphonic soirée concocted by rising star Andris Nelsons at the head of “his” City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The programme is highlighted by two monumental works from the symphonic repertoire: Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto with soloist Arcadi Volodos and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. You won’t want to miss this!

It’s already the penultimate week of the Festival… and once again there is something for every fancy! Early music fans will be gathering at the church in Gsteig on Thursday, 27 August, in order to hear Maurice Steger, the “little prince” of the recorder, performing music from Venice accompanied by Naoki Kitaya. Enthusiasts of choral music will be rushing to the Festival Tent in Gstaad on Friday to hear Paul McCreesh and his outstanding Gabrieli Choir, Consort and Players performing Haydn’s “Creation”. Jazz adherents will take the aerial tramway to gather at Glacier 3000’s Restaurant Botta at the foot of the Diablerets in order to hear (with a magnificent meal) pianist George Gruntz in trio. Families will opt for the special performance of Hans Krasa’s opera “Brundibar” in the Festival Tent as executed by the indefatigable Margrith Gimmel-Dauwalder and her ensemble from the Saanenland Obersimmental Music School on Sunday, 30 August. And finally voice lovers will not want to miss the Cecilia Bartoli Gstaad Vocal Academy from 27 to 31 August and highlighted by a concert with the eminent mezzo in Saanen on Sunday and a performance by students from the Academy in the Gstaad Church Parish Hall on Saturday.

It’s already the fifth week of the festival – which means a new bouquet of concert gems! The week begins with the place of honor granted to the string quartet in two exceptional concerts: the Leipzig String Quartet will bring its Beethoven odyssey (initiated in 2007) to a close with a performance of Opus 131 and Opus 132 in Lauenen on Monday, 17 August; and the Merel Quartet from Zurich will offer a programme that juxtaposes Kurtág with Bach’s “Art of Fugue” in Rougemont on Wednesday, 19 August. The weekend is then highlighted by symphonic concerts: Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra will be performing a number of momentous works in Gstaad, including Bruckner’s Ninth, Shostakovitch’s Eleventh, Brahms’ Violin Concerto (with Joshua Bell) and Richard Strauss’ Oboe Concerto. The week closes with two special concerts: an all-Schubert recital with pianist Henri Sigfirdsson (including a performance of the “Winterreise” accompanied by himself!) on Saturday, 22 August; and on Sunday the concert featuring the “Play Along” orchestra of amateur musicians in collaboration with soloists from the LSO.

The great diversity that the Menuhin Festival has to offer is demonstrated once again in this, the fourth week’s programmes. The festivities open with two very contrasting evenings of chamber music: Jeremy Menuhin presents a concert with friends at the church in Saanen on Wednesday, 12 August, and the Leipzig String Quartet continues its performance cycle of Beethoven’s complete string quartets (initiated two years ago) in Lauenen on Thursday. The mood changes completely on Friday, 14 August, with music from Versailles as performed by gamba virtuoso Jordi Savall and his Concert des Nations. Another change of scene on Saturday, 15 August: a grand evening of opera with a “Notte Italiana” in the Festival Tent featuring soprano Noëmi Nadelmann and “local hero” Philippe Bach, the young conductor whose career has skyrocketed. And last but not least, the week concludes in Lauenen on Sunday, 16 August, with a piano recital featuring German Sebastian Knauer, one of the festival’s “regulars”.

Our third week offers an array of some of the most original concerts at this year’s Menuhin Festival. On Monday, 3 August, in Rougemont: a jazzy evening under the bow of Didier Lockwood. Tuesday: Grigory Sokolov’s long-awaited recital featuring works by Beethoven and Schubert. And then back to a crossover programme filled with fireworks performed by “Los Romeros”. Two extremely contrasting evenings follow: the first featuring a solo performance of the Goldberg Variations by German star Martin Stadtfeld, the second a duo with cellist Sol Gabetta and pianist Lauma Skride in a programme that is clearly… demonstrative! The week will conclude with a particularly special touch on Sunday: a brunch concert in the Alp pastures with the ensemble Musique Simili, the final concert with the “Play Along” orchestra of young musicians, and an evening of chamber music in Gsteig featuring the prize winners from the Kiefer Hablitzel Foundation.

The Menuhin Festival is world famous for its concerts in the various churches around the region as well as in the Festival Tent in Gstaad. But did you know that in addition to this the festival also offers a series of special encounters that provide an opportunity to hear the artists in slightly different settings. The next events under the banner “music extra”: the concert with the Menuhin School Orchestra at the summit of Wispile on Sunday, 26 July, at 11:30 o’clock; the brunch concert with the ensemble Musique Simili in the Alp Pastures of Rougemont on Sunday, 9 August, at 11:30 o’clock; and the lunch accompanied by a violin and piano recital (Lili Holetschek and Marlise Ganz) at Gstaad’s Grand Chalet Hotel on Sunday, 16 August.

Due to a loss in the family pianist Dejan Lazic has been forced to cancel his concerts on 7 and 8 August. German star Martin Stadtfeld has agreed to play the recital in the church in Lauenen on 7 August. He will perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations as originally scheduled (a cycle which put him at the top of the German charts for a number of weeks with his recording for Sony) as well as Beethoven’s last piano sonata. This recital will be Martin Stadtfeld’s first at the Menuhin Festival and features a repertoire that fits him like a glove. Pianist Lauma Skride will replace Dejan Lazic for the concert in the church in Saanen on 8 August; she will perform a “Polonaise Brillante” programme with cellist Sol Gabetta.

He is present throughout the duration of the Festival, responsible for the inestimable introductions to the works performed at the concerts. Did you also know, however, that Hans-Georg Hofmann has been moderating encounters with the artists running under the headline “Pre-Concert Talks” for a number of years? The perfect occasion to get into the mood for the concerts, but also to meet the artists in a manner much easier than might be expected… Moreover, there is no admission! Future guests on the list: violinist Daniel Hope on Friday, 24 July, at 14:00 o’clock; the “Baroque pope” Jordi Savall on Friday, 14 August, at 14:00 o’clock; and conductor Philippe Bach on Saturday, 15 August, at 18:00 o’clock; at the very fashionable setting of the Festival’s new Artists’ Lounge located within the walls of the Basta Restaurant at Hotel Bernerof in Gstaad.