Celebration | Gstaad Festival Orchestra | Shelley and Hope

For his first festival performance with the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Daniel Hope has chosen a true masterpiece: the monumental Violin Concerto by Edward Elgar. Few works are as closely associated with the legacy of Yehudi Menuhin, who played this concerto as a child and later even recorded it under the direction of the composer himself. The musical direction of the concert on August 15, 2026, will be taken by the renowned English conductor Alexander Shelley, who will bring this grand work to life with all its emotional depth and symphonic expansiveness. The collaboration with Shelley arises from a scheduling overlap in the international commitments of Chief Conductor Jaap van Zweden and at the same time reflects the high artistic flexibility and international networking of the orchestra. The program, which also includes Ludwig van Beethoven's timeless Fifth Symphony, will be presented as part of a tour in some of the most significant concert halls in Germany as far as Copenhagen. It is a strong sign of the international presence and artistic quality of the festival orchestra under the direction of Chief Conductor Jaap van Zweden. Jaap van Zweden, whose influential role for the Gstaad Festival Orchestra remains central in the summer of 2026, will as planned lead the first week of the Conducting Academy, conduct the concert on August 8 in the church of Saanen, and take over a tour of the orchestra in September.

Daniel Hope, violin

Gstaad Festival Orchestra

Alexander Shelley, conductor

Edward Elgar (1857–1934)

Violin Concerto in B minor op. 61 50'

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Symphony No. 5 in C minor op. 67 30'

110' (including intermission)