Clemens Hellsberg: In times of crisis, there’s a great need for artistic nourishment

The excitement is building for the Swiss Alps Classics! In 28 days, the festival’s fifth anniversary will kick off under the motto "Variations on the Theme of Music." In this interview, artistic director Clemens Hellsberg takes a look back. He discusses what makes the Swiss Alps Classics so special, the concerts and events of the past four years that stand out, and the highlights of this year's anniversary program. Tickets for the four evening performances from June 2-5, 2021 are available starting at CHF 75 online at ticketcorner.ch and at Ticketcorner box offices.

The Swiss Alps Classics is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Which concerts, venues and artists do you have the fondest memories of?

Clemens Hellsberg: “It brings me great joy to be able to work with artists whom I have known, in some cases for decades, such as Isabel Karajan, the Labèque sisters, Elena Bashkirova, Benjamin Schmid, Lang Lang, Herbert Lippert, Hans and Martin Haselböck or Jörg Widmann and, of course, many of my former philharmonic colleagues – and to do so on a different level than the previous “philharmonic” one. At the same time, I have the privilege of meeting some of the most extraordinary talents of the next generation and the one after that, such as Emmanuel Tjeknavorian. I also always have the opportunity to embark on the exciting exploration of unusual performance venues, such as the Sasso San Gottardo Crystal Hall or the Nätschen middle station.

You’ve been involved from the very beginning as artistic director. You’re Austrian and known in the classical music world as the former chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. How did you become artistic director at the Swiss Alps Classics?

Hellsberg: “I was invited by the organizer Peter-Michael Reichel, who came up with the idea of launching the Swiss Alps Classics. He's Austrian himself and has made Andermatt his adopted home. With this festival, he also wants to express his passion for this village and the region. When I stepped down from the board in 2014 after more than 17 years, he immediately came to me with the idea of founding this festival. I was won over instantly by his enthusiasm, which his family also shares.”

On the occasion of the anniversary, it’s a good time to take stock. Every classical music festival has its own unique characteristics. What make the Swiss Alps Classics so special?

Hellsberg: "We want to create a degree of closeness between artists, on the one hand, and the audience, on the other, which is not possible in a typically anonymous large city. I remember, for example, seeing a little girl meet Lang Lang backstage at the Theater Uri in Altdorf – it was a very touching experience for everyone present! Another example is the audience discussion with Igor Levit, who earlier gave us an unforgettable piano recital. Or the irresistible Labèque sisters, who played music with their typical passion in the Nätschen middle station, surrounded by the “parked” ski gondolas. And, from the beginning, we regarded the gorgeous landscape around the St. Gotthard as the real ‘stage’ of this festival."

The anniversary program features three familiar faces in Marisol Montalvo, Maria Radutu and Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, who have already performed at the Swiss Alps Classics in past years. What can we look forward to at this year's festival in particular?

Hellsberg: "The magic of the concerts lies in the juxtaposition of different artistic worlds: On the one hand, the audience encounters two artists who have not only become synonymous with highly original programs, but who also verbalize their engagement with music and their profession. On the other hand, with the accomplished Emmanuel Tjeknavorian and my son Benedikt, currently a member of Bruckner Orchestra Linz, the audience is introduced to two young men of similar age who have been mutually inspiring each other for years and who are taking on the challenge for the first time of performing together in a sacred space."

This year, the church of the Disentis Benedictine monastery has been added as a new concert location. What makes this venue so appealing?

Hellsberg: "The connection of music as the most ephemeral of all arts with a sacred space, in other words the 'sensualization' of the eternal, is among the most powerful experiences that we can have – if we're willing to consciously surrender ourselves fully to these intersecting 'universes' with our heart and soul!"

The Swiss Alps Classics was already held last year under pandemic conditions. What’s the biggest motivation to hold a festival like this during these times?

Hellsberg: “We’ve now seen that it is the managers of concert halls, opera houses and theaters and their audiences who are particularly strict when it comes to adhering to the official regulations. Not out of 'blind obedience,’ but the conviction that these are extremely important meeting places. It’s entirely in the spirit of the famous theater director Max Reinhardt. In 1917, in the midst of the catastrophe of the First World War, he recognized in art 'not only a luxury for the rich and satiated, but also food for the needy.' And in times of crisis, there is an especially great need for this nourishment.”

Important Information:

We, as organizers, ensure that during the festival we will comply with all applicable ordinances of the respective canton regarding the containment of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Information about our hygiene concept will be available on our website www.swissalpsclassics.ch shortly before the festival. We ask for your understanding that we cannot make any detailed statements on the hygiene concept at this moment, as this will depend on the epidemiological situation at the time of implementation.

Please note that it may therefore be necessary to wear (medical) mouth-nose protection during the event (if necessary also at your seat) or that we have to ask for your contacts before entry for contact tracing.

DE: Akademist