World premiere in Gstaad: Casanova plays host at the Palace Hotel
He is well known for his love of the experimental: Daniel Schnyder, the �Composer in Residence 2005� at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad. This time the surprise he has in store is his jazz opera �Casanova�. On Friday 6th August 2005, the Swiss composer most often heard abroad is staging the world premiere of his new work, in a setting where Casanova himself could have caused a furore: the legendary Palace Hotel. A romantic weekend in illustrious company is on the programme.
�L�amour, amore, Liebe, love: what is the thing called love?� Giacomo Casanova asked himself all his life. Daniel Schnyder, the Composer in Residence at this year�s Menuhin Festival Gstaad, follows the traces of this great humanist and lover. Yet again, the Swiss composer and saxophonist, and New York resident, Schnyder dares to combine classical and jazz styles to create musical fireworks. From just 105 Swiss francs (approximately �47), music lovers can experience this unique event in the venerable Palace Hotel in Gstaad.
Mozart meets Casanova: in Gstaad rather than Prague
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova is an impossible figure to pin down. He was a diplomat, priest, author and bon vivant. Among the ladies of the eighteenth century, he was beloved above all for his legendary arts of seduction. Just at a time when Mozart was suffering from �composer�s block,� Casanova paid a visit to Prague. Mozart was in a bad mood, struggling with a composition for his opera �Don Giovanni.� Giacomo Casanova cheered him up with a few stories from his fascinating life, and became an unexpected muse.
Whisperings in the night and a mountain-top picnic: a weekend full of surprises
The Gstaad encounter between Mozart and Casanova occurs in a place laden with history: it will unfold on Friday, 6th August 2005, in the Salle Baccarat of the legendary Palace Hotel. Wolfgang Holzmaier, baritone, as Casanova, is a promising prospect in the leading role. And the evening will be rounded off by Ralf Bauer, the well-known German actor, reading from Casanova�s diary � at the fireside of the Palace Hotel. This �whispering in the night� will be followed the next day by a mountain picnic and a concert at an alpine hut, with the fitting theme �Casanova: the day after WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE.� Special weekend arrangements for this cultural event are on offer at various hotels in the Saanenland area, with prices starting at 281 Swiss francs (approximately �125). A whole week of holiday and musical delights in the Berner Oberland is available from 416 Swiss francs (approximately �185).
Hotel reservations can be made directly via the Gstaad Saanenland tourist office: Tel. 033 748 81 84, Fax, 033 748 81 83, [email protected]. Advance ticket orders can be taken by the Menuhin Festival office: Promenade, 3780 Gstaad, Tel. 033 748 83 33, Fax 033 748 83 39, [email protected], www.menuhinfestivalgstaad.ch
"Night-time whisperings at the fireside"
Musical extra
Saturday, 6th August 2005, Palace Hotel,
Salle Baccarat, 23.00 hrs
The German actor Ralf Bauer reading from Casanova�s diaries
"Casanova: the day after WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE"
Musical extra
Sunday, 7th August 2005, Chalet des Ouges, Rougemont, 12.00 hrs
Concert in an alpine chalet and mountain picnic
Music by Duke Ellington, Kurt Weill, George Gershwin, Antonio Vivaldi and Cole Porter
CHF 130 (�58) including bus, concert, picnic and drinks
Further musical highlights of the Menuhin Festival Gstaad:
Uri Caine: Handel-Brahms Variations, Saturday, 16th July 2005, 20.00 hrs, Church of St Maurice, Saanen
Andr�s Schiff: Homage to Menuhin �Bach � Bart�k�, Wednesday, 20th July 2005, 20.00 hrs, Mauritius Church, Saanen
Sarah Chang: Soul�s longing for the South, Saturday, 30th July, 2005, 20.00 hrs, Mauritius Church, Saanen
Bobby McFerrin meets Beethoven: Friday, 5th August 2005, 19.30 hrs, Festival Marquee, Gstaad
No�mi Nadelmann; In love with Gershwin and �, Saturday, 13th August 2005, 19.30 hrs, Festival Marquee, Gstaad
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis: Eroica, Friday, 26. August 2005, 19.30 hrs, Festival Marquee, Gstaad
Relaxation all part of the package: Special hotel arrangements for the Menuhin Festival 2005
Bellevue Spa & Menuhin, Grand Hotel Bellevue *****
2 nights in a double room, incl. breakfast buffet, 1 gourmet menu, free access to Bellevue Spa, 1 (partial) massage or fango body pack, 1 concert ticket (cat. 1), free concert transfer shuttle, �Gstaad easy access card�, Price per person from CHF 950 (�422). www.bellevue-gstaad.ch
Music Arrangement, Grand Hotel Park *****
2 nights incl. generous breakfast buffet, mid-day or evening meal, free use of wellness area, 1 concert ticket, free concert transfer shuttle, Price per person (in double room) from CHF 675 (�300). www.grandhotelpark.ch
Small Wellness ABC with Music,
Wellness & Spa-Hotel Ermitage-Golf*****
3 nights half board, free use of wellness area, guided walks, sporting expeditions. 1 herbal bath and 1 �vital� massage, 1 concert ticket, free concert transfer shuttle, Price per person from CHF 730 (�324). www.ermitagegolf.ch
Walking Notes
Hotel Bernerhof****
1 week of walks with Leonz Blunschi, President of the Menuhin Festival, full board (picnic lunch), free use of wellness area. Price per person from CHF 1400 (�622) / 6 days / 3 concerts.
www.wanderhotel.ch
Music and Pleasure, Hotel Arc-en-ciel****
3 to 5 nights, incl. gourmet breakfast, midday or evening meal � la carte, free use of bicycles, wellness area, 1 concert ticket (cat. 2), free concert transfer shuttle, Price per person from CHF 641 (�245). www.arc-en-ciel.ch
Menuhin Festival Gstaad Weekend, Hotel Olden****
3 nights incl. welcome aperitif, breakfast-buffet, 2 evening meals, free use of wellness area, 2 concert tickets, Price per person from CHF 1105 (�491). www.hotelolden.com
Menuhin Festival Gstaad for Connoisseurs
Hostellerie Alpenrose****
2 nights in a spacious south-facing room with balcony, including connoisseur�s breakfast, 1 pre- or post-concert menu, 1 gourmet menu, 1 concert ticket (1st cat.), free concert transfer shuttle, Price per person from CHF 690 (�307). www.relaischateaux.ch/alpenrose
Symphony and Alpine Magic on the sunny terrace of the Saanenland, Hotel Bahnhof***
2 nights, incl. welcome ap�ritif, generous Saanen breakfast buffet, 5-course dinner, walking and nature with the �Gstaad easy-access card�, 1 concert ticket, Price per person from CHF 416 (�185). www.bruno-kernen.ch
Nature and Music, Hotel Gstaaderhof ***
Walking week for connoisseurs, 6 nights incl. half-board and midday meal, 2 church concerts, Price per person from CHF 1071 (�476). www.gstaaderhof.ch
Notes for editors
The most up-to-date overview of all the musical events can be found on the website: www.menuhinfestivalgstaad.ch.
At time of going to press, CHF 1 = �0.44
For more information contact:
Magellan PR on Tel: 020 8875 2850
Email: [email protected]