Festival opening with the "Young Pianists" at Park Hotel Vitznau - 4 years of cooperation with Lang Lang International Music Foundation

It was a goose bump moment when Lang Lang sat down at the piano in the theater(uri) in Altdorf on 1 July 2018 and played two solo pieces – Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor, Op. post, and Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze”. The solo comeback came as a complete surprise – and it came in the small, exclusive ambience of our Swiss Alps Classics festival. Due to a protracted wrist injury, the original intention was for him to only play four-hands with four of his Lang Lang International Music Foundation’s (LLIMF) scholars who had accompanied him to the Swiss Alps. Aliya Alsafa, Kimberly Han, Clayton Stephenson and Eden Chen all played a piece alone and then a piece together with the virtuoso, but then came Lang Lang’s surprising solo performance.

It was a truly memorable evening in the sold-out theater(uri). A totally relaxed Lang Lang, who perpetually exudes an aura that only few renowned artists can match, embraced the Swiss Arts Classics’ Art Director Clemens Hellsberg backstage. The pianist and Hellsberg’s family have enjoyed a close bond for well on 20 years and now the Swiss Alps Classics has also enjoyed a friendship with Lang Lang and his foundation ever since that special day on 1 July 2018. It bestows festival audiences with uplifting musical experiences and there is a real sense of cooperation with the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. With the exception of the corona year in 2020 when US citizens were required to spend ten days in quarantine after arriving in Switzerland, two of the foundation’s young pianists perform annually at the Swiss Alps Classics. In 2019, it was Jasper Heymann and once again Aliya Alsafa, in 2021 it was Avery Gagliano and Amir Siraj. This year Elizabeth Zietz and Shuheng Zhang will open our festival in Park Hotel Vitznau at 6.00 pm on 9 June. Tickets are available at our event website.

Lang Lang sent the Swiss Alps Classics a video message on the occasion of the festival’s fifth jubilee last year: “I look back with beautiful joy from my visit in 2018. Lots of love to you,” said the Chinese world star at the time. “Thank you so much that you host once again the young pianists from my foundation.” And Lang Lang added, “Lots of love especially to you Clemens.”

When talking about the cooperation with the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, Clemens Hellsberg says, “All those experiencing the empathy with which Lang Lang embraces young people will understand why this great pianist, who was made a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador at the age of 21, has established a foundation to foster young talented musicians. It is something that is very dear to his heart.” Hellsberg also expressed his deep gratitude to the “POK Pühringer Privatstiftung”, a private foundation that has supported the partnership from the beginning: “Very dear to the heart – the words also applies to the Pühringer family’s promotion of music and young musicians, and they are writing Swiss and Austrian cultural history.”

It is now also a special tradition that Park Hotel Vitznau plays host to the concerts performed by the young pianists. Urs Langenegger, General Manager of the Park Hotel Vitznau, says about the three-year partnership: “Young musicians should have the opportunity to present their world of notes to an audience, gain experience and to meet new people. We, the Park Hotel Vitznau, would like to offer them a platform where life’s dreams in the world of music can grow. The classical tones of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation’s young musicians that perform at the Swiss Alps Classics concerts here in our hotel, have been delighting our guests for years. The walls of our five-star deluxe hotel that are steeped-in-history enclose a world full of tranquillity and culture. The location on Lake Lucerne with its picturesque view of central Switzerland’s mountains acts as an inspiration to the talented up-and-coming musicians”

Automotive partner Christen Automobile remains loyal to the Swiss Alps Classics

Important for a festival like the Swiss Alps Classics is, alongside the brilliant musicians, also the partners and sponsors that enable the event to take place. Our official automotive partner Christen Automobile from Schattdorf has been a part of the festival right from the beginning and has remained loyal throughout. The fleet of Audis are in service non-stop between Zürich Airport, the various railway stations and the Andermatt, Vitznau and Bürgenstock concert venues. The fleet includes two electric vehicles, one of which is the e-tron.

All the information about the Lang Lang International Music Foundation can be found on its website at www.langlangfoundation.org

An overview of the four-day festival’s programme can be found here.