Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2017

The "DNA" of French music runs from Bizet to Saint-Saëns and Franck to Fauré, Ravel and Debussy... but does typical "French music" even exist? Debussy has "French musician" printed on his business cards. What is French about his music? According to the conductor Daniel Barenboim, it is the sound. We tend to forget that composers writing music, have a mother tongue. Barenboim recently said "you can't overestimate their influence" in an interview with "Die Welt". Is French "sounds" in itself also the sound of paintings, perfume, fragrance, dream in the works of Romanticism and Impressionism that want to form an actual genre? Perhaps the musicians of today have an answer to this question: Composer Bruno Soeiro puts fragrances into tones in his new work: "Sillages, sons de parfums" and Tristan Murail puts in his work for the Gstaad Menuhin Festival "Reflets/Reflections" a fine painting sound of the fascinating nature of the Saanenland.

Leading French musicians and important orchestras will highlight our 63rd Gstaad Menuhin Festival. We look forward to welcoming you this summer 2019.

Gstaad Menuhin Festival