Verbier Festival 2015

VERBIER FESTIVAL
summer in verbier
Many of us fondly remember two
particularly outstanding moments in
the history of the Verbier Festival: in
1994 when Zubin Mehta stepped on
to the podium to conduct the very first
concert in our history and in 2000 when
James Levine presided over the birth of
the Verbier Festival Orchestra. We have
come a very long way since then and
it is quite simply extraordinary that
both Maestros Levine and Mehta will
return this summer to renew special
relationships with our musicians and
with our public.
There will be many highlights this
summer: on 23 July I have created
a programme in homage to Maia
Plissetskaia, a legendary artist, a great
protagonist of our Festival and my
dear friend, who sadly passed away
a few months’ ago, and this concert
will be conducted by Valery Gergiev.
And the next evening, on 24 July,
there will be a double first – the first
ever Verbier performance of Bach’s St
Matthew Passion and the first time
Thomas Quasthoff has conducted
an orchestra anywhere in the world.
And I am particularly pleased that
Charles Dutoit will conduct Bartok’s
masterpiece Bluebeard’s Castle in our
closing concert.
Connoisseurs of fine singing should
note four important Verbier debuts:
the American mezzo-soprano Joyce
DiDonato in our opening concert,
Angela Gheorghiu in an intimate
recital at the Church with guitarist
Miloš Karadaglić, Sonya Yoncheva
in Verdi’s Luisa Miller and Mark
Padmore in the Matthew Passion as
well as in recital of English song at
the Church. Piano enthusiasts will
be spoilt for choice by appearances of
Khatia Buniatishvili, Denis Matsuev,
Menahem Pressler, Grigory Sololov,
Daniil Trifonov, as well as the Verbier
debut of legendary pianist András
Schiff.
At the heart of our success are the
artists who make the Festival possible,
and particularly our three music
directors Charles Dutoit, Daniel
Harding and Gábor Takács-Nagy
to whom I am forever grateful. My
thanks go to Alain Nicod, President
of our Foundation, and to all our
board members. I would like to extend
a particularly warm welcome to our
newest member Patrick Aebischer.
Bank Julius Baer and Nespresso are
very faithful sponsors and we thank
them for their investment and their
vision.
The Commune de Bagnes and the
Canton of Valais, as well as the Loterie
Romande are essential regional
partners. I thank also The Friends of
the Verbier Festival, and particularly
their President Catherine de Marignac
who continues to push the association
forward. Growing numbers of
foundations and private donors have
joined the ranks of our supporters, and
my thanks go to them as well. And last
but not least, I thank the Festival team,
led by Kim Gaynor, as their hard work
throughout the year keeps our Festival
going from strength to strength.
It takes many days to appreciate all
that the Verbier Festival has to offer,
from unique performances given by
the world’s very best musical stars
to the learning programmes for the
next generation of musicians led
passionately by Christian Thompson.
All we need now is seventeen days of
unbroken sunshine!
Martin T:son Engstroem
Founder & Executive Director
Verbier Festival | Programme 5