Merry Christmas from the SWISS ALPS CLASSICS!

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends of the Swiss Alps Classics,

At the end of another year marked by the Corona pandemic, it is particularly important to me to thank you for the loyalty you have shown to the fifth edition of the Swiss Alps Classics festival, founded by Michael Reichel in 2017. In times of crisis, spending on culture is cut very quickly in many places; At the same time, however, history and the present prove that, especially in times of crisis, many people realize the great extent to which art – as the most sublime expression of humanity – gives comfort, security and confidence.

In large parts of the world, countless performing musicians are suffering from the consequences of lockdowns and the associated cancellation of concert and opera performances. But it's not just material worries that torment them; they suffer, at least equally, from the limitation of their ability to bring their skill and devotion to the arts to those who yearn for the deep emotional experience that each successful performance represents.

“The public needs nothing but receptivity, and it has it,” wrote Friedrich von Schiller in the preface to his tragedy The Bride of Messina. A high level of "audience receptivity" was evident at this year's Swiss Alps Classics concerts, and I am moved and grateful that through your participation - and beyond: through your sympathy - made an important contribution to maintaining optimism and mental strength.

With this in mind, I wish you a peaceful, contemplative and blessed Christmas as well as lots and lots of strength and confidence for the coming year and ask you to remain loyal to the Swiss Alps Classics Festival in 2022 (June 9th to 12th). The artists will thank you through the music, that is, through that non-verbal art form that speaks directly to the heart and of which the great Joseph Haydn said: "My language is understood throughout the world."

Stay healthy!

Yours, Clemens Hellsberg
Artistic Director Swiss Alps Classics