Celebration | 70-Jahre-Jubiläumskonzert | Zukerman, Hope & ZKO

An event marking a reunion: 70 years of shared joy in music in Gstaad. For the new artistic director Daniel Hope, this concert also means a journey back to the beginnings: The memory of that lunch at the Hotel Olden on August 17, 1983 – his tenth birthday – when he met Pinchas Zukerman for the first time remains forever deeply embedded in Daniel Hope's biography. Just as he once had the opportunity to grow as an artist under the watchful, benevolent eyes of his mentor Yehudi Menuhin, this anniversary edition is all about togetherness – in all its facets: At the festival's opening, Pinchas Zukerman will perform alongside his lifelong friend Zubin Mehta, who has been well known to the audience of the Menuhin Festival Gstaad since his debut in 2004 in the festival tent. Both will perform side by side with the musicians of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, which for Daniel Hope was a kind of "birthplace" into music. Hope was fortunate to admire the inspiring rehearsals of the ZKO in the church of Saanen under Edmond de Stoutz early on. For Jacques Offenbach's moving Larmes de Jacqueline – those "tears of Jacqueline" that once became world-famous through the unforgettable Jacqueline du Pré – Hope has also invited Amanda Forsyth, Zukerman's wife. For such a memorable and emotional evening, the "classics" of the Viennese spirit – Haydn and Mozart – must naturally be included. An evening that stands entirely in the spirit of a large musical family – and a story that is ready for the next chapters!

The originally announced conductor Zubin Mehta had to unfortunately cancel his appearance in Gstaad for health reasons. We deeply regret that the encounter with one of the prominent personalities of the international music world cannot take place. Pinchas Zukerman and Daniel Hope will now jointly take over the direction of the opening concert. The concert thus remains a special highlight in the festival program as well as a worthy and festive start to the festival summer.

Pinchas Zukerman, violin & viola

Daniel Hope, violin

Amanda Forsyth, cello

Zurich Chamber Orchestra

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major KV 216 (1775)25'

Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)Symphony No. 104 in D Major Hob. I:104 «London» («Salomon») (1795)30'

Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880)«Les Larmes de Jacqueline» [Tears of Jacqueline], song (Elegy) from «Harmonies du soir» op. 76 No. 2 arranged for cello and orchestra (1846)7'

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola in E-flat Major KV 364 (320d) (1779) 35'

120' (including intermission)