Quel plaisir…
Hope, Eternity, Talent, and Sublime.
These are the four words that define the four evenings I spent in the Swiss mountains for the Gstaad New Year Music Festival. Four nights that, one after another, brought to the stage Corinne Winters and Xabier Anduaga on December 27, Plácido Domingo and Christina Poulitsi on December 29, Michael Spyres and Anastasia Bartoli on January 2, and finally Asmik Grigorian on January 3.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Swiss festival host and organiser, Princess Caroline Murat, truly went all out to delight both her guests and the ears of opera lovers.
I have now been attending this festival for over five years. It always lasts two weeks and brings together the biggest names in opera, piano, and violin, combining concerts and talks in venues as iconic as the landscapes that surround them — the churches of Rougemont, Saanen, Lauenen, and more.
HOPE — Corinne WINTERS & Xabier ANDUAGA
To open my festival, two rising stars of the opera world — and not just any — took to the stage of the Rougemont church for 85 minutes: Xabier Anduaga, whose career is already clearly marked by bel canto, and Corinne Winters, the soprano everyone is eagerly awaiting in the role of Salome.
They performed arias by Puccini, Donizetti, and Verdi, with a special mention for Franz Lehár, in whose repertoire the American soprano truly shone. But the evening began with Anduaga’s interpretation of “Ah! mes amis” from La Fille du Régiment. Despite French diction that is still occasionally approximate — but will surely smooth out with time — his perfectly controlled string of high Cs, capped by a seemingly endless final note, instantly electrified the audience. The result? Thunderous applause from the very first aria.
All of this was, of course, beautifully accompanied by pianist Maciej Pikulski.
ETERNITY — Christina POULITSI & Plácido DOMINGO
Then came the moment when my eyes inevitably turned into fountains of tears. For the third time this year — but this time in a far more intimate and privileged setting — I saw on stage the greatest living tenor of our time.
After Bern and Geneva, Plácido Domingo gave his third Swiss concert of the year in a completely packed church in Saanen. And I mean packed: people standing, sitting wherever they could, just to see and admire a tenor who has brought so much emotion not only to those present in the hall, but to audiences all over the world.
How could one forget his Otello? His Alfredo? His Lohengrin? The Three Tenors concerts? Or simply all the Verdi roles he performed so triumphantly throughout his career?
To crown it all, the Maestro kindly took the time for a filmed interview for Opera Diary. What better way to end the year? (Once again, many thanks to Francesca from Ariosi for her invaluable help.)
He was joined by soprano Christina Poulitsi, whom I was hearing live for the first time, and pianist James Vaughan. The concert opened with Domingo’s current signature aria, “Nemico della patria” from Andrea Chénier, sung with undiminished emotion, followed by “Pietà, rispetto, amore” from Macbeth. The soprano then turned towards bel canto with an aria by Elvira, followed by Juliette’s aria from Roméo et Juliette.
The evening naturally concluded with Spanish songs — and no fewer than four encores. Truly, getting your money’s worth took on its full meaning.
TALENT — Anastasia BARTOLI & Michael SPYRES
Yes, this was indeed the very first time that soprano Anastasia Bartoli and “barytenor” Michael Spyres sang together on stage — and it happened in Gstaad.
For those who may not yet know, the Missouri-born American possesses a voice equally suited to multiple repertoires, and he proved it brilliantly: he opened with Figaro’s aria from Il Barbiere di Siviglia (baritone territory), followed by a duet from La Bohème with Bartoli — pure tenor repertoire.
I must admit I was surprised by the Italian soprano’s programme choices, as these were arias in which I was not used to hearing her. Not because she wasn’t excellent — she was — but because I would have loved to hear her in repertoire where I am more accustomed to her voice.
That said, it was a very fine concert, fittingly ending with a joyful Libiamo.
SUBLIME — Asmik GRIGORIAN
I will be very straightforward: Asmik Grigorian’s concert was the most beautiful concert I have ever seen in Gstaad — and quite possibly the most beautiful recital I have ever experienced in my life.
“Saving the best for last” has never felt more accurate than with this final concert of the festival. A recital like this, lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes, feels like time is suspended. You genuinely wonder how you are supposed to return to normal life afterwards.
After the concert, my friends and I just looked at each other in silence — as if we had witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime event. Honestly, if extraterrestrials had landed, our reaction would have been the same.
From Verdi to Puccini, from Dvořák to Tchaikovsky, Asmik Grigorian does not merely sing opera — she inhabits each character with overwhelming emotion. The climax of the evening came with Lady Macbeth, where her face quite literally transformed as the aria progressed.
She had already won the applause meter in Paris with Il Trittico, and she did it once again in Gstaad, earning long, sustained ovations. And then, suddenly, the sublime met the eternal: she ended the recital with Ave Maria from Otello — my Otello.
Considering that I had missed her Otello in Madrid by just 24 hours, you can imagine how deeply this moment affected me. This time, I truly got my money’s worth — as if 2026 were beginning under the very best auspices.
A thousand thanks to the Gstaad New Year Music Festival, to the entire organisation and everyone who makes this festival such a special experience: Princess Caroline Murat, Illyria, Philippe, Zabounette, the two Cléments, journalists, public…
Once again, I wish you all a wonderful 2026 — and above all, see you next year! 🎶✨
