World stage, Swiss classical music and sounds of home

Pure emotion in the mountains: The alpine concert hall experiences its first year-round season with Andermatt Music as the main organizer. Intendant Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer continues its proven three-pillar program. In addition to internationally renowned stars and orchestras, home-grown sounds from local artists from Central Switzerland are also on the agenda. And the Swiss Orchestra plays classical music trouvailles by Swiss composers who have long been forgotten. The highest concert hall in Europe with a unique view of the mountains directly from the hall is establishing itself as a classical music lighthouse. The hall has just been voted the world's best concert hall by the renowned Architizer competition. Winner of the Cultural Halls/Theater 2022 category chosen.

Rolando Villazón performs a gala evening of French and Italian opera arias. He will be accompanied by the Swiss Orchestra. The Brass Ensemble of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from Holland will perform a festive and rousing Christmas concert with a best-of program. From the south, the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid will come to Andermatt and intoxicate with Spanish classical music and great symphonies. The Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival Ensemble, a top orchestra from the Orient, will be performing on Andermatt's stage. Pianist Elena Bashkirova presents works by Rossini and Brahms with the ensemble she founded.

At the suggestion of the Swiss Orchestra, Michael Barenboim will play the violin concerto by Hermann Suter (1870-1926), one of the most important Swiss composers. And Stephan Eicher receives a carte blanche: together with the Swiss Orchestra, he will create a special program in which the orchestra and the exceptional artist will fulfil each other's musical wishes.

In addition to top-class local folk music, Camille Saint-Saëns Carnival of the animals a special concert experience. In cooperation with the Uri Music School and the Lucerne Cantonal Music Talent Promotion Program, an intergenerational family concert with selected up-and-coming artists is scheduled. "Alongside international greats and the Swiss symphony, the artists from Central Switzerland are particularly close to my heart. Andermatt is the hub of the north-south axis and therefore the ideal place to bring local musical tradition and classical music stars to the same stage," affirms artistic director Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer. Following the great public success of "Peter and the Wolf" at Easter, Bernhard Russi has once again been recruited as the narrator. The stage seems to have become his second passion alongside the ski slopes of this world.

To kick off the program, Andermatt Music follows in the footsteps of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe discovered the material for "William Tell" in Stäfa on Lake Zurich. He recommended the subject matter to his friend Friedrich Schiller, who turned it into a worldwide hit. Goethe, visibly fascinated by Switzerland, was subsequently drawn to the Gotthard region three times. As a tribute to the great poet, Franz Schubert's Goethe settings will be performed in Andermatt, which are celebrated as great song art. The tenor part will be sung by the well-known Lucerne opera and lieder singer Mauro Peter.

Photo: Valentin Luthiger

Director Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer

Director Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer wants to make the trip to the mountains of Uri a cultural experience for all the senses. In a unique setting and atmosphere, the audience is offered cultural experiences with supporting programs tailored to the respective concert program. The hall is easily accessible from all over Switzerland.