A setting sun turns the snow-capped mountains pink as strains of Mozart drift down to titillate champagne-sipping music-lovers. But the true magic of the Verbier music festival, now in its ninth year, lies in the cosy way top-notch musicians, conductors and composers mingle with aspiring performers.

Mixing With The Stars

"It's amazing here. You walk down the street and pass all the stars maybe 10 times," said one Russian violinist. "I was sitting next to (top conductor) James Levine in a restaurant last night. I was going to ask if I could take his picture but I decided not to bother because, hey, I'll run into him tomorrow."

Apart from stunning views, luxurious wooden chalets and fresh mountain air, why this alpine festival has become such a huge hit in the music world is a bit of a puzzle. Lithuanian pianist Itamar Golan, performing at the festival for the fifth time, struggled to explain. "We're in this tiny village, in the middle of nowhere, and yet somehow the director (Martin Engstroem) is able to gather the best artists, the really first class performers," he said. "That's what makes this festival so special."

This year's star-studded line-up features soprano Kiri te Kanawa, pianists Egveny Kissin, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Chick Corea, Latvian violinist Gideon Kremer as well as big-name conductors like Levine, Kurt Masur and Bobby McFerrin. "Engstroem is getting the kind of superstars here who often cancel or only perform solo. But here, they come, they spend time, they make music and they just hang out," Golan said.

Laid Back

The Swiss bank UBS sponsors the event and the impressive Verbier festival youth orchestra which brings together 120 musicians from 34 countries for their orchestral debut. The relaxed mood, the magnificent music-making in a makeshift hall built on a ski-season car park, combined with the obvious fact that everyone -- from stars to struggling youth -- is having the time of their lives, is what separates Verbier from more staid classical events.

The versatile McFerrin -- jazz singer, pianist, orchestral conductor for the last 14 years and the man behind the "Don't worry, be happy" ditty -- epitomises the Verbier feeling. Clad in baggy jeans and t-shirt with his conductor's baton stuck in his dreadlocks, he whooped and applauded the youth orchestra after they performed Leonard Bernstein's "Overture to Candide" in a rehearsal which, despite brilliant sunshine, lured an audience almost as big as the official concerts.

"Everyone hangs out together, we all go to the same bar after concerts, not that there's so many bars in Verbier, but we go, we talk, we meet friends. It's a little community. The chances of something like that happening anywhere else are practically zero,"

No Egos Allowed

Despite its relatively high-class image -- sun shades outside Verbier's bars advertise Moet & Chandon, not soft drinks and lager -- there's nothing stuck-up about the festival itself. Trudging down a mountain in grubby hiking boots to the sounds of accomplished musicians practising or giving an impromptu concert is a far cry from the egos, pompousness and ball gowns often associated with the classical scene.

Korshakova summed up the camaraderie at the festival: "It's not competitive at all. Everybody is here for pure enjoyment. It's all about making music together for pleasure." Blythe Teh, a 27-year-old violinist from the United States, came off stage on cloud nine. "I feel on top of the world here We've got the best soloists, the best recitals, the best conductors and great colleagues -- it is such a high," she said.

The only downside? Coming back to earth with a painful bump when the festival, which ended on August 4, is over. As Teh recalls: "Last year when I went back and played with my orchestra at school I had tears streaming down my face - It just wasn't the same."


[Source: Karen Iley - Reuters]

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