We are only a few weeks away from the start of the 3^rd edition of the Vevey Spring Classic festival and are already excited with the thought of welcoming, like last year, a large number of audience to attend all the six concerts between May 22^nd to 26^th in the beautiful Salle del Castillo in Vevey.

During five days, our mentors/artists Francesco Piemontesi, Viviane Hagner, Yura Lee and Daniel Müller-Schott will be present on the stage of this historic hall together with their young prodigies to make music and to enchant our audience.

The opening concert on May 22^nd features the return of the Cameristi della Scala under the direction of its Principal Guest Conductor Wilson Hermanto in a fabulous program with two famous soloists as guests! The French clarinetist Pierre Génisson will begin the evening with Weber Concertino followed by the world premiere of Eric Montabletti Concertino for clarinet and string orchestra.

Born in 1968, the French composer has had his compositions premiered and performed by renowned soloists and dedicatees, such as Truls Mørk, Christian Tetzlaff and Emmanuel Pahud. In January 2024, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra gave the world premiere of Montalbetti Miséricorde for string orchestra under the direction of Renaud Capuçon.

To learn more about Eric Montalbetti, visit : https://www.ericmontalbetti.com

The Vevey Spring Classic festival is proud to present the world premiere of this new work by Eric Montalbetti, with Pierre Génisson as soloist and the Cameristi della Scala under the direction of Wilson Hermanto.

To complete the program of the First Soirée, the Cameristi della Scala will perform two major works by Mozart : Symphony No. 36, known as “Linz” and Piano Concerto No 25 with the great Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi.

To discover more about Francesco Piemontesi, visit : https://francescopiemontesi.com

The following evening on May 23^rd features Magdalene Ho, Laureate of the 2023 Clara Haskil International Piano Competition. At only 20 years old she will be sharing the stage with Francesco Piemontesi to perform Schubert Rondo in A Major D. 951 for four hands piano.

All concerts of VSC

Ticketing

The Vevey Spring Classic festival programs a series of concerts based on the principle of mentoring.

World-famous artists work together with a handful of young musical talents selected based on of their exceptional gifts.

Among the young prodigies of the 2024 edition is the 20 years old Malaysian pianist Magdalene Ho who won the 2023 Clara Haskil International Piano Competition.

Her rise to the success winning this important competition was the result of lots of hard work, perseverance and at the same time possessing rare gifts of musical sensitivity and technical prowess.

In 2024, the festival will welcome distinguished musicians such as the violinist Viviane Hagner, the violinist and violist Yura Lee, the pianist Francesco Piemontesi, the clarinetist Pierre Génisson and certainly our Co-artistic Director, the cellist Daniel Müller-Schott.

As the extension of our musical activities, annual concerts are also organized in exclusive partnership with the Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa Lausanne in a series called “Les Accords Parfaits”.

This month on March 23^rd, we will welcome the violinist Veronika Eberle and Friends

This overview of the VSC artists allows us to understand the plural artistic role that the festival intends to play while cultivating its roots in the Lake Geneva region.

You can now buy your tickets on the site https://monbillet.ch/vsc with an EARLYBIRD offer of 10% discount (except for the Family Concert) during the month of February only.

Box office

As part of the outreach activities of Vevey Spring Classic for the community of Canton de Vaud, we are very happy to announce the following news and to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season.

Concert for Caritas and Fondation Asile des aveugles with “Nils Mönkemeyer and Friends”

Friday 26 January 2024, 11:00 (FREE ENTRANCE)
Église St-François, Lausanne

Rachmaninov Prelude in g minor op. 23 no. 5 (trans. for organ)

Schubert “Arpeggione” Sonata in a minor D. 821 (1st movement)

Bartók Selections from Duos (arr. for two violas)

Organ solo improvisation

Mozart Sonata for piano and violin (transc. for viola) in G Major K. 379

J. S. Bach Suite for solo cello (transc. for viola) no. 2 in d minor BWV 1008 (Prelude – Sarabande – Gigue)

Organ solo improvisation

Jean-Henri d’Anglebert Les Folies d’Espagne

Nils Mönkemeyer, viola
Zeyang Kan, viola
Mingyue Yu, viola

Carter Muller, piano

Benjamin Righetti, organ

A 4-part musical series at the Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa Lausanne in exclusive partnership with the Vevey Spring Classic festival during the Season 2023-24 featuring our top musicians: Till Fellner, Daniel Müller-Schott, Nils Mönkemeyer and Veronika Eberle performing together with the younger generation of artists who are supported by VSC.

The 1st in the series of these exceptional evenings is on Saturday, October 7th, 2023, featuring pianist Till Fellner, violonist Hana Chang and cellist Senja Rummukainen to perform music by Schubert and Ravel.

For the complete information, please click the link below:
https://royalsavoylausanne.com/en/offres/les-accords-parfaits

The Vevey Spring Classic is happy to announce a Scholarship awarded to the Lausanne born cellist Benjamin Jacobs for the Season 2023 – 24. As part of our commitment to music education and mentoring, this special scholarship is intended to give an emerging local talent from Canton de Vaud the opportunity to study periodically under the guidance of the great cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, Co-Artistic Director of Vevey Spring Classic.

Quoting Daniel Müller-Schott’s statement:

“Mentoring young artists means an essential part to me. Back in 1992, the personal support I gained through Anne-Sophie Mutter and her Foundation “Anne-Sophie Mutter Stiftung” gave me the opportunity to have lessons with giants like Mstislav Rostropovich, masterclasses with Frans Helmerson and Steven Isserlis…….I look forward to working together with Benjamin and to follow his musical and artistic growth”

It is in this spirit and vision of “giving back” which motivated us to give the structured opportunity for an emerging local talent, in this case to the young cellist Benjamin Jacobs, to develop further his musical skills under the masterful guidance of Maestro Daniel Müller-Schott.

Over the course of the 2023 – 24 Season, we will share further news in regards to Benjamin Jacobs’ activities in relation to his scholarship program with the Vevey Spring Classic.

Benjamin E.J.F. Jacobs biography

Born in 2000, Benjamin Jacobs has already had numerous noteworthy experiences as a concert cellist. He took part and won the Swiss Music Competition for Youth in Hünenberg at the age of seven.

Benjamin received the certificate from the Lausanne Conservatory of Music with brilliant results and commendations from the jury in 2016, working under the guidance of his teacher during 10 years, Susan Rybicki-Varga (daughter of the legendary violinist Tibor Varga). Two years later in 2018, he graduated the bilingual International Baccalaureate and in 2021 received the Bachelor of Music from the Haute École de Musique Vaud. Further he continued his cello studies at the Royal College of Music in London, obtaining the Master of Music Performance degree in July 2023 under the tutelage of Professor Raphael Wallfisch.

Along the way, Benjamin undertook many noteworthy projects; in 2018 he performed a Duo in collaboration with Jia Yong Sun, Principal Dancer of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, at the Opéra de Lausanne. The following year he performed the Prélude of J.S Bach Suite no. 1 for the 30th anniversary concert of Medair at Salle del Castillo Vevey, an evening shared with artists such as Daniel Müller-Schott, Wilson Hermanto and the chamber orchestra Cameristi della Scala. More recently Benjamin performed together with the Russian harpist Alexander Boldachev for the Soirée Favorit 2022 at the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne. This year he was honored to have the unique opportunity of sharing his passion in music at the 2023 Maria Callas Monaco Gala and Awards, held under the high patronage of His Serene Highness the Prince of Monaco at the Opéra Monte-Carlo and Hôtel de Paris, which celebrated the Centennial anniversary of the birth of the great Maria Callas. Following his performance at this ceremony, Benjamin Jacobs received the award of Young Music Talent.

Broadcast of the concert recorded on May 6, 2023, at Salle del Castillo in Vevey, as part of the Vevey Spring Classics Festival.

Beethoven Sonata in C Major op. 53 « Waldstein »
Brahms Piano Quintet in f minor op. 34

Till Fellner, piano
David Fray, piano
Veronika Eberle, violin
Hana Chang, violin
Nils Mönkemeyer, viola
Daniel Müller-Schott, cello

The Vevey Spring Classic Festival is committed to the idea of transmission. The principle behind its concert program is to bring together tomorrow’s best musicians with their mentors. These young musicians, whose talent has been recognized and rewarded in prestigious competitions, are destined to form the next generation of worldclass artists, playing chamber music to the highest artistic standards, with all the richness of exchange that an educational link brings. Imagining such a festival formula goes hand in hand with being anchored in the region hosting the festival. Nothing could be more natural than to create a fruitful link with the musical institutions of the Vaud Riviera, with its flourishing artistic activity and history! Wilson Hermanto approached François Grin, Director of the Conservatoire de Musique Montreux-Vevey-Riviera, with a view to organizing workshops alongside the concerts on the Vevey Spring Classic agenda. On Sunday April 30th, 2023, Madame de Warrens’ house, located just a few hundred meters from the Salle del Castillo and Théâtre Le Reflet, hosted a workshop by cellist Daniel Müller-Schott. In the small hall usually dedicated to local conservatory auditions, several students from the cello classes were able to benefit from the advice of the German musician and co-artistic director of the Vevey Spring Classic. In the presence of his cello teachers and François Grin, himself a famous cellist and former member of the Terpsycordes Quartet, as well as friends and parents of the young students, Daniel Müller-Schott listens, welcomes, values and explains the fundamentals of the interpretation and technique of his instrument to children and teenagers inspired by the art of music. These are not necessarily young people destined for a professional career. Imagining the content and spirit of a workshop is often accompanied by a preconceived notion of severity and solemnity. Not so with Daniel Müller-Schott. The master listens attentively to the executions of the pieces the students have prepared. He lets them play their piece in its entirety, then works on the pedagogical link with simplicity. After an encouraging overall assessment, the international musician begins the discussion with an open question : “How does the work affect you, how do you feel ?” Openness to others is at the heart of this approach. The seemingly vague question nonetheless captures the essence of what music is, its vocation, and has the distinct advantage of getting to the heart of the matter beyond mere technical considerations.

Louis, aged around eleven or twelve, ponders how he should respond after playing Tchaikovsky’s Douce Rêverie. The discussion slowly takes shape, and little by little the musical elements emerge. In the end, the young boy appropriates Daniel Müller-Schott’s conceptions, who insists on not playing too directly, but finding the spirit of the piece in order to capture the fluidity of the dream, its immanent sweetness. The cello line is a singing line. Encouraged by Louis’ teacher, young Louis is invited to hum along to the music. A little embarrassed, the child hesitates. Not to worry, Daniel Müller-Schott bounces back tactfully, sings the instrument’s song with a relaxed sense of humor and explains the elements inherent in agogics, dynamics and phrasing, then grabs the student’s cello to emphasize the spirit of the work. The art of relaxation is a conscious art; the notion of suppleness and fluidity must be integrated. And the child grasps the substance of what is being transmitted. When he takes up the instrument again, achieves noticeable improvements, progresses and gradually acquires the substratum of the onirism that must be read between the lines of Tchaikovsky’s composition. “OK, Wunderbar!” punctuates the virtuoso. A sort of quiet strength emanates from the experienced musician, who finds the complicity required to ensure that the pedagogical relationship is underpinned by mutual trust. A few exchanges on bowing round off the time allotted to Louis, who sits back to listen to the other pupils after exchanging a grateful smile with Daniel Müller-Schott.

Hortense, a little older than Louis, then played the Meditation from Thaïs with beautifully sustained lines. Once again, Daniel Müller-Schott’s question is “Do you like the piece?” to which it is impossible to answer anything other than yes, given that these pages by Jules Massenet are among the most beautiful in cello literature. “The middle section might reveal something of questioning, doubt, inner tension…” comments the master. Then he stresses the need to take physiological aspects into account, citing Mstislav Rostropovitch’s indications, from which he himself benefited in his early years, when his career was in the making. “The way to hold the bow should be as close as nature can show us”, explained the late Slava, who dared to use unexpected comparisons to describe how the wrist should be positioned to hold the bow properly and effectively. Daniel Müller-Schott advises Hortense to look in the mirror and examine the posture of the hand that holds the bow and, in fact, allocates the required weight and strength to it. Flexibility of movement is at the heart of playing the instrument. Of course, it is very difficult to change a posture in ten minutes or so, but playing at home with the strings open, in front of a mirror, finding a position that becomes natural and spontaneous, is an approach that provides the key to instrumental practice.

Now it is Elissa’s turn, a more seasoned and slightly older student. The gymnasium student in a special class at Lausanne’s Gymnase Auguste-Piccard has no intention of making a career out of cello, and neither does Arthur, who will succeed her in this afternoon’s workshop. With obvious experience, the young woman tackles a portion of the first movement of Lalo’s Concerto with generosity and commitment. “Very good”, says Daniel Müller-Schott positively. Looking beyond the fullness of sound and Elissa’s already confident attacks, the cellist comments on the various styles and esthetic trends present in the work, and anticipates the existence of an orchestra reduced for the exercise which consists in accompanying the pianist. 2023 also happens to be the year of the bicentenary of Edouard Lalo’s birth, whose birthday coincides with Mozart’s – January 27, incidentally – to lend credence to the artistic value of the composition chosen for the exercise. He explains how to push the energy with crescendos that are in tune with the orchestra, and works on the contrasts to be brought in, how to dare crescendos, or even rarer sonorities, how to develop the line and bring it to its conclusion in a soft, lyrical song that begs to blossom. Further on, he explains how to connect energetic worlds with suspended moments, while keeping the line… So many questions raised so that the young performer’s progress can be articulated.

At the end of the ninety-minute workshop, Elissa confides that she feels very grateful for the input she has received. Is she intimidated by the master’s artistic scope? Not particularly, even if she is fully aware of the extent of his talent and notoriety. “We met him last autumn. He’s very approachable, close to people. I quickly felt at ease. He’s respectful and patient. I like his general advice, which isn’t just specific or technical”. The afternoon of exchanges ended with a few questions from the plenary session. “How do you learn a difficult passage?” asks one of the participants. “Work on it, play it at a slow tempo, channel your concentration into a slow mode, be aware of what you’re doing, then continuously increase the speed,” answers Daniel Müller-Schott. “For my part, I do extreme readings, very slow and very fast. That way, you can be freer and play away from the difficulties you’ve overcome”, he adds. Then it is the turn of one of the Conservatoire’s cello teachers to ask a question about vibrato work. “Work on it in rhythm, at different tempi, so as not to reduce it to a simple tremor,” explains the cellist.

To conclude, Daniel Müller-Schott places the relationship with the instrument at a very high sensitive level: “You have to feel the connection with the instrument, a connection that is not a one-way street. The day the instrument becomes part of you, part of your life, you experience something wonderful that you have to welcome and cultivate”. A beautiful message!

Bernard Halter
April 30th, 2023

“The Vevey Spring Classic festival is happy to announce the start of an artistic partnership with the HEMU – Haute École de Musique to showcase the musical talents of violinist Alexander Won-Ho Kim, soprano Pilar Alva Martin and harpist Emma Thomazeau with the opportunity to perform in the “Prélude” concerts on the 4th, 5th and 6th of May 2023 in Salle del Castillo, Vevey. As one of the leading music institutions in Western Europe, the HEMU – Haute École de Musique provides a model of excellency in music education. The future of classical music is in the hands of our young generation of serious and talented musicians. We look forward to introducing Mr. Kim, Ms. Alva Martin and Ms. Thomazeau to our audience and invite you to show your support by attending these concerts.”

Wilson Hermanto and Daniel Müller-Schott
Co-Artistic Directors

“The HEMU wishes to accompany its students beyond their academic career by offering them opportunities to propel their career. This is exactly what the new partnership between our school and the Vevey Spring Classic Festival promotes. We are delighted that three students from our specialized “Master of Soloists” program will be able to participate in the Festival by performing a “Prelude” concert at the time of their graduation!”

Noémie Robidas
Director of the Haute École de Musique

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You can now buy your tickets on the site monbillet.ch.