Verbier Festival Announces Additional Programming Changes

After a successful opening night on July 16, the festival, which will feature several events per day through August 1, has announced additional programming changes

The Verbier Festival opened its 2021 season on July 16 with a program of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Prokofiev's "Classical" Symphony No. 1 — featuring music director Valery Gergiev, the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, and piano soloist Denis Matsuev.

After a weekend rich with musical programming, the festival announced on Monday additional programming changes amid a festival that, due to a cluster of 16 COVID-19 cases, will no longer feature the Verbier Festival Orchestra.

Here are the changes:

• Tuesday, July 20 at Salle des Combins: An evening of opera arias with Maria Bayankina, Marcelo Álvarez, Ambrogio Mestri, and pianist James Bailieu will replace Puccini's "La fanciulla del West"
• Wednesday, July 21 at Salle des Combins: Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 is replacing Szymanowski's Violin Concerto in a concert with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and conductor Antonio Pappano
• Wednesday, July 21 at Église de Verbier: Jonathan Fourel will replace Maria Joao Pires in a recital with violinist Augstin Dumay, as Pires can no longer appear at the festival for personal reasons. The Beethoven G major violin sonata will replace Brahms' Violin Sonata in D minor.
• Friday, July 23 at Église de Verbier: The previously planned recital from Jean-Efflam Bavouzet has been canceled

A full list of events — concerts, talks, and classes — can be viewed on the festival website.

Festival attendees are not required to present proof of vaccination. For those not in the area, most concerts are streamed on medici.tv.

Further changes to the festival's program are set to be announced early next week.