The main reason for holding the festival is so that Russians can get acquainted with contemporary, classical, early and folk music of Switzerland, which is still unfortunately not well known in Russia.  The festival "Window to Switzerland" became an important part of "The seasons of the Swiss culture in Russia" which was provided by the Joint statement of Ministers of Culture of the two countries signed in April, 2013. 

In 2016 the festival will continue to make Russian listeners acquainted with the unique musical culture of Switzerland of the past and the present-day.

Heinz Holliger is one of the most versatile and extraordinary personalities in music of our time. Born in 1939 in Langenthal (Switzerland) he studied in Bern, Paris and Basel, oboe (with Emile Cassagnaud and Pierre Pierlot), piano (with Sava Savoff and Yvonne Lefébure) as well as composition with Sándor Veress and Pierre Boulez. His unusual delicacy and his incomparable musical ear make him one of the most important artistic personalities of today’s musical world as a soloist, composer and conductor.

Heinz Holliger conducts most of the leading orchestras and ensembles worldwide such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra London, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphonic and others. A cooperation over many years which includes numerous CD-recordings connects him with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He is a regular guest conductor at the SWR-Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and many others.

Heinz Holliger has recorded for Teldec, Philips and ECM. He holds the position of a full professor at the Musikhochschule Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.

Felix Renggli was born in Basel/Switzerland and studied the flute with Gerhard Hildenbrand, Peter-Lukas Graf and Aurèle Nicolet. He gave up his chair as a solo flautist with the Symphony Orchestra of St. Gallen, to start a freelance career in the same position with several orchestras in Europe (Tonhalle Zürich, Festival Orchestra Lucerne, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe) and perform as soloist at several international festivals as in Paris, Bourges, Lucerne, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Lockenhaus etc. Working and playing regularly together with oboist, composer and conductor Heinz Holliger has deeply marked his musical career.

He tours as soloist and member of different chamber music groups, such as for example the "Ensemble Contrechamps"/Geneva (music of the 20th century), the "Holliger-woodwind-quintet", "Nova Stravaganza/Köln" (on baroque instruments), etc..., in Europe, Japan, China, Korea, Southamerica and USA, playing in prestigious halls like Merkin Hall/New York (Solorecital), Opera Bastille/Paris, Beethoven Hall/Tokio, Alte Oper/Frankfurt, etc.

Felix Renggli has been awarded prizes at various international music competitions. He has recorded for the radio in different countries and appears on a growing number of compact discs, with the Ensemble Contrechamps, Heinz Holliger, the Arditti-quartett, the pianist Jan Schultzs and others. (Philips, Koch International, Accord, Stradivarius, Discover)

Renggli teaches a professional flute class at the Music Academy of Basel, having been nominated for this place as successor of P.-L. Graf., and gives regularly masterclasses in Europe (Int. Summercourses Montepulciano/Italy, Masterclasses Goslar/Germany), Japan (Int.summer academy of Musashino Music University Tokio) Australia and Southamerica (Argentina, Brasil ).

His repertoire includes a wide range of music: from the 18th century, played on historical instruments (Nova Stravaganza/Köln), up to the avant garde of our time, having played first performances from many solo-and chamber-music works. (also with „Ensemble Contrechamps/Geneva). Since 1999 he is artistic director of the new released concert serie in Switzerland, „Swiss Chamber Concerts".

In 2004 he has been nominated profesor at the "Music University of Freiburg i. Br.", Germany.

Svetlana Sumacheva was born in Moscow. In 1984 she graduated from the Gnesins Colledge (class of violin) and entered the oldest Russian State Conservatory named after Rimsky-Korsakov (class of vocal by the famous Professor T. Lavrova). In 1989-1991 she studied at the graduate school in Professor Izotova’s class. Since 1993 Sumacheva has been the soloist of the Moscow Academic Musical Theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Today she acts in such productions as La Traviata, Carmen, Cafe "Socrates", Barber of Seville, Elixir of Love, and The Tale of Tsar Saltan".

The Svetlana preference is Baroque music. Since 1992, she has been participating in the Early Music College of the Moscow State Conservatory. Sumacheva sings fascinating but, unfortunately, little known to the public arias of that magnificent era. It cooperates with the baroque orchestra La Petite Bande conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken.

Participants:

Mikhail Krutikov, violin

Alexander Zubov, violin

Sergey Poltavsky, viola

Ilya Rubinstein, cello

Vasily Zatsepin, double bass

Mikhail Dubov, harpsichord, piano

Alexander Suvorov, drums

Students of the Music School at the Moscow State Conservatory named after P. Tchaikovsky:

Gleb Proshutinskii, violin

Afanasii Stupakov-Konev, violin 

Programme:

F. Racine — L'Humeur vagabonde for flute and contrabass

Yu Vittenbah — "10 miniatures" for flute and cello

H. Holliger — A Plume 'eperolue for soprano, alto flute, English horn, and cello

G. Kurtág — Die Rose, for soprano and English horn (oboe)

A. Solbiate — duet for soprano and English horn (oboe)

H. Holliger — Duet for two violins from the series "Children's Album"

W.A. Mozart — Quartet for Oboe

The festival is organized with the active support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Russia, Pro Helvetia Swiss Council for Culture, and SWISS Air airlines.

Art director and producer of the festival - Valery Proshutinskii.

Executive Director — Irina Skinner-Chetverikova.

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