Celebration | 70th Anniversary Concert | Zukerman, Hope & ZKO

The opening concert stands under the sign of reunion: 70 years of shared joy in music in Gstaad. For the new Artistic Director Daniel Hope, this concert is also a journey back to his beginnings. The memory of that lunch at Hotel Olden on 17 August 1983, his tenth birthday, when he first met Pinchas Zukerman, remains deeply rooted in Daniel Hope’s biography. Just as Hope himself was once able to grow as an artist under the watchful and generous eyes of his mentor Yehudi Menuhin, this anniversary edition is dedicated entirely to togetherness in all its facets. At the opening concert, Pinchas Zukerman will perform together with Daniel Hope and the musicians of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, which for Hope was something of a “birthplace” into music. At an early age, he was able to attend and admire the orchestra’s inspiring rehearsals in the church of Saanen under Edmond de Stoutz. For Jacques Offenbach’s moving Les Larmes de Jacqueline, those “Tears of Jacqueline” made world-famous by Jacqueline du Pré, Hope has also invited the cellist Amanda Forsyth. And for such an emotional and memorable evening, the great classics of the Viennese spirit, Haydn and Mozart, could of course not be missing. The originally announced conductor Zubin Mehta has unfortunately had to cancel his appearance in Gstaad for health reasons. We are deeply saddened that this summer’s festival will no longer include the long-anticipated return of one of the great musical figures of our time. Pinchas Zukerman and Daniel Hope will now jointly lead the opening concert, ensuring a festive and memorable opening to the festival summer.