Gstaad menuhin Festival World Premieres

In the innovative spirit of its founding father, who opened the Festival in Saanen in 1957 alongside Benjamin Britten with a legendary ceremony, Gstaad Menuhin Festival fulfils its role as an ambassador of all musical genres, from old to new music to the music of the future, with heart and soul. The impressive list of commissioned compositions and world premieres speaks for itself.

2023
Patricia Kopatchinskaja: “Melodrama about Sedna, Queen of the Inuits" – modern melodrama based on the story of the Inuits, their queen Sedna and climate change, for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano (world premiere – work commissioned by the Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2023 – in German)
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Nathan Braude, Anastasia Kobekina, Uxia Martinez-Botana, Polina Leschenko, Michael Engelhardt (Narrator)

2022
Georg Friedrich Haas: “Was mir Beethoven erzählt”, Double Concerto for Violin, Contraforte and Orchestra (work commissioned by the Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2020 – co-production with the Bonn Beethovenfest, Berlin Konzerthaus and Basel Chamber Orchestra)
N. N., Lorelei Dowling, Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn, Students of the Gstaad Conducting Academy
Martin Wettstein: “Die Magie des Tinnitus”, Piano Trio No. 3 (world premiere – work commissioned by the Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2020)
Christel Lee, Jonathan Roozeman, Yekwon SunwooJeremy
Menuhin: String Quartet in 5 Movements
Carmina Quartet
Dejan Lazić: “Kaleidoscope” – Reflections on the Motif G.S.(T.)A.A.D (world premiere) for piano, violin (clarinet), cello
Dejan Lazić, Zen Hu, Sol Gabetta

2021
Thomas Adès: “Over the sea – shanty songs for string orchestra” (commissioned by Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2021, co-commissioned by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, Istanbul Festival)
Basel Chamber Orchestra, Baptiste Lopez

2020 - canceled
Georg Friedrich Haas: “Was mir Beethoven erzählt”, double concerto for violin, contraforte and orchestra (commissioned in co-production with the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Basel Chamber Orchestra)
Renaud Capuçon, Lorelei Dowling, Basel Chamber Orchestra, Sylvain Cambreling
Martin Wettstein: “Die Magie des Tinnitus”, Piano Trio No. 3; Christal Lee, Jonathan Roozeman, Yekwon Sunwoo
Jeremy Menuhin: String Quartet in 5 Movements
Jeremy & Mookie Menuhin, Carmina Quartet

2019
Tristan Murail: “Reflections / Reflets IV” for orchestra
Orchestre National de Lyon, Gergely Madaras 
Bruno Soeiro: “Sillages, Sons de Parfums” for chamber orchestra
Basel Chamber Orchestra, Pierre Bleuse

2018
Peter Eötvös: “Now, Miss!”, duo for violin and violoncello
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sol Gabetta

2017
Oliver Waespi: “Scene Change”, comissioned work for solo trombone and orchestra
Lukas Tiefenthaler, Play@ Gstaad Menuhin Festival amateur orchestra, Kevin Griffiths

2016
Didier Lockwood: “Hymn to Yehudi”, concerto for 6 violinists and orchestra
Roby Lakatos, Gilles Apap, Valeriy Sokolov, Volker Biesenbender, Didier Lockwood, L. Subramaniam, Berner Symphonieorchester, Philippe Bach
Georg Breinschmid: Concerto for 3 Clarinetts and Orchestra
Andreas, Daniel & Ernst Ottensamer, Gstaad Festival Chamber Orchestra, students of the Conducting Academy
Martin Wettstein: “Flow – in Memoriam Yehudi Menuhin” for orchestra
Play@ Gstaad Menuhin Festival amateur orchestra, Kevin Griffiths

2015
Mark Anthony Turnage: “Dialogue” for violin, violoncello, strings, harp, percussion
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sol Gabetta, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi

2014
Peteris Vasks: “Duo” for violin and violoncello
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sol Gabetta
Isabel Mundry Motions: “Motions, der doppelte Blick I-III”
Gstaad Festival Orchestra, students of the Conducting Academy

2013
Fazil Say: Piano Concerto “Water”
Fazil Say, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi

2011
John Corigliano: “Conjurer”, concerto for percussionist and string orchestra (2007)
Martin Grubinger, Gstaad Festial Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi (Swiss premiere)
David Philip Hefti: “Con Fuoco”, String Quartet No. 4
Leipzig String Quartet

2010
Daniel Schnyder: “Heaven and Earth”, symphonic meditation
Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi

2009
Bechara El-Khoury: “Unfinished Journey – Tribute to Yehudi Menuhin”, for violin and string orchestra, op. 78 (dedicated to Daniel Hope)
Daniel Hope, Basel Chamber Orchestra

2008
Olli Mustonen: “The Old Church at Petäjävesi”
Basel Chamber Orchestra, Olli Mustonen

2007
Rodolphe Schacher: “Le Renouveau”, composition set to a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé for chamber ensemble
Emmanuel Pahud & Friends

2006
Jacques Loussier: “Jazz-Concerto – Hommage à Menuhin”, for improvising solo violin and chamber orchestra
Volker Biesenbender, Basel Chamber Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi

2005
Daniel Schnyder: “Casanova” – Chamber opera for baritone, alto, 2 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos and chamber orchestra
Wolfgang Holzmair, Ralf Bauer, Jan Schultz, The Gstaad-Experience-Orchestra

2004
Daniel Schnyer: Concerto for Alphorn and Orchestra
Arkady Shilkloper, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Kristjan Järvi

2003
George Gruntz, “The Magic of a Flute”, jazz-opera
NDR Big Band, George Gruntz