MEDIA RELEASE 2022 03 16 - Verbier Festival

March 16, 2022 — VERBIER (Switzerland) — The Verbier Festival today announced a re-imagined programme for its opening night on July 15

In a call for peace, solidarity, and inclusion of musicians of all nations, the Verbier Festival today announced a re-imagined programme for its opening night on July 15. Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Verbier Festival Orchestra (VFO) in a programme that features Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony—a work fittingly composed during a repressive political atmosphere—preceded by Rodion Shchedrin’s Second Piano Concerto. At the piano will be Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova, alumna of the Verbier Festival Academy (2012 and 2017). Rodion Shchedrin, who celebrates his 90th birthday in 2022, is one of Russia’s pre-eminent composers and a regular composer and pianist of the Festival since 1997. His music is programmed on three Festival concerts this summer with the VFO.

The Verbier Festival previously announced its separation from all artists publicly aligned with the Russian government’s position on the invasion of Ukraine, including Valery Gergiev as Music Director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra.

“While we condemn both the actions of the Russian government and those who support them, we will not turn our backs on Russian musicians nor the great tradition of Russian music,” comments Martin T:son Engstroem, Founder & Director of the Verbier Festival. “Our Festival was built on the value of inclusion. It’s in our DNA to bring people together during this difficult time.”

Having been part of the Verbier Festival’s community of artists since 2006, Gianandrea Noseda was already programmed to conduct Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera and will now extend his time at the Festival to include the three first VFO performances originally scheduled with Valery Gergiev. Noseda has agreed to take over the programmes as they had originally been announced; with pianist Mikhail Pletnev as soloist on July 17, and a rescheduled performance by Yefim Bronfman on July 19. Programme details follow. 

Friday 15 July / Opening Concert
19:00 Salle des Combins

Rodion Shchedrin – Piano Concerto No. 2
Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 4

Verbier Festival Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda conductor
Anna Fedorova piano

Sunday 17 July
19:00 Salle des Combins

Rodion Shchedrin – Heiligenstadt Testament
Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 3
Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 15

Verbier Festival Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda conductor
Mikhail Pletnev piano

Tuesday 19 July
19:00 Salle des Combins

Rodion Shchedrin – Dialogues with Shostakovich
Béla Bartók – Piano Concerto No. 2
Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 1

Verbier Festival Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano

The Verbier Festival is a classical music festival that encourages sharing between great musicians and young aspiring artists from around the world. It is committed to excellence in music performance and education through its highly respected artistic programme, Academy and community engagement programmes. The next edition of the Verbier Festival, with Principal Sponsorship of Bank Julius Baer and SICPA, will place July 15 to 31, 2022 in Verbier (Switzerland).