Winterthur Youth Symphony Orchestra on Mauritius

Like every summer, the Winterthur Youth Symphony Orchestra (WJSO) of the conservatory set off on its traditional orchestra tour. However, few could have dreamed that this time it would be to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and that the tour would last three weeks. As part of a local project to revitalize music and opera culture, the WJSO under the direction of Simon Wenger was invited to Mauritius in mid-July to perform the orchestral part in the operetta Orphée aux Enfers by Jacques Offenbach. Anyone thinking that the orchestra had made themselves comfortable on the breathtaking beaches was far from the truth. Six performances of the operetta were on the program, as well as an additional symphonic program with three concerts and daily rehearsals.

The staging of the Orphée - whose best-known piece is undoubtedly Can-Can in the Underworld - was multicultural in character. The choir was made up of local singers, the soloists came from New Zealand, Germany and Mauritius, the conductor Martin Wettges traveled from Germany and the Swiss orchestra made the journey to Mauritius, 9,000 kilometers away. Such projects offer young musicians an excellent opportunity to gain an insight into the future everyday life of a professional musician, as they sometimes played for more than seven hours a day. The turbulent opera business - from the first meeting with the choir, rehearsing the soloist parts, integrating them into the dramaturgy to the performances themselves - was both challenging and impressive.

Since classical symphony concerts are a rarity in Mauritius, the WJSO decided to travel with a symphony program in addition to the operetta music. On the theater-free evenings, Beethoven's Symphony No. 1, the Gypsy ways by Pablo de Sarasate with the virtuoso young Bernese violinist Danilo Oliviera as soloist, and the Suite on six Swiss folk songs by the Swiss composer Rolf Liebermann. These performances were a special highlight for the people of Mauritius, the concerts were well attended and the reviews afterwards were enthusiastic.

The exchange with the local music schools in Mauritius was an extraordinary experience. For a one-off concert, for example, the youth orchestra of the Conservatoire François Mitterand was merged with the WJSO, resulting in an 80-piece orchestra. This line-up performed a piece by a young composer from Mauritius as well as the crowning finale, the Polovtsian Dances by the Russian composer Alexander Borodin. Some orchestra members from Winterthur were also able to visit the private music school Vent d'un rêve for children from poor backgrounds, where the musicians presented their instruments and played a few pieces. For the children, who only knew many instruments from pictures and had never seen an oboe in real life, for example, this visit was something out of the ordinary. But the members of the WJSO also realized on this impressive afternoon how lucky they were to be able to live and study in a country like Switzerland that promotes and cultivates classical music.

Despite the strict program, there was also time to enjoy the beautiful beaches and the impressive landscape of the island. Various excursions were offered - be it a trip on a catamaran to watch dolphins, snorkeling, swimming and barbecues, a visit to a botanical garden or a hike in one of the island's large national parks - to relieve the musicians' minds from the stress of rehearsals and performances. But it was the personal contact with the people of Mauritius itself that led to wonderful and lasting experiences. All the musicians were accommodated with local host families, and after getting to know the members of the operetta choir for the first time, they met up on the beach or in a bar and enjoyed the short time they were able to spend together. There is no doubt that everyone, be it the musicians from Switzerland or the participants from Mauritius themselves, gained indescribable experiences and adventures. We can only hope that this time - "the Mauritian experience" - will resonate with everyone for a long time to come.