Concerts, operas and ballets: program and booking for Zurich - City of the Month

Zurich and music

History

Architecture

The musical life of Zurich took off when Wagner stayed there. Indeed, Zurich had no permanent professional orchestra until the middle of the last century. Wagner directed operas and many concerts of the philharmonic society and took an interest in chamber music. In 1867, a founding committee for the Tonhalle was set up and a year later the Tonhalle Society was established, forming what is today the main pillar of Zurich’s musical life.

The Opernhaus Zurich : See Calendar.
The Zurich Opera House is famous the world over for both opera and dance. It is among the most important European theatres and plays host to leading conductors.

The original theatre built in 1833 was replaced by the present building which was opened in 1891. It was the venue for the first performance of Parsifal outside Germany. The history of the Opernhaus has indeed been punctuated by numerous premieres: Turandot by Busoni in 1917, Lulu in 1937, Mathis der Mahler and Cardillac by Hindemith (1938 and 1952) and Moses und Aron by Schönberg in 1957.
Several major conductors such as Otto Ackerman, Hans Knappertsbuch, and Wilhelm Furtwängler conducted a varied repertoire always with the greatest singers (Lisa della Casa was for instance a member of the Opernhaus company). It was at the Studiobühne too that the young singers Gwyneth Jones and Edith Mathis perfected their craft.
One of the most outstanding events of its history was the “re-staging” for the first time of the operas of Monteverdi and Mozart performed on period instruments at the instigation of the pioneer Nikolaus Harnoncourt supported by the legendary stage settings of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. These productions contributed to the renaissance of Baroque opera and the rediscovery of a vast repertoire.
Today the Opernhaus under the direction of Alexander Pereira is one of the few theatres that can pride itself on presenting the greatest stars of the opera world in one and the same season. With its well-thought out and varied programming, the audience has every reason to be satisfied.

The Orchestra of the Zurich Tonhalle : See Calendar.
Built in 1895, the concert hall has become a cult venue. It has stunning acoustics. The Orchestra of the Zurich Tonhalle is Switzerland’s oldest symphony orchestra. These days it has 101 musicians and puts on over 90 performances per season.

Friedrich Hegar, its very first conductor, had a profound influence on the musical life of Zurich between 1868 and 1906. His successor, Volkmar Andreae, widely known for his conducting of the works of Bruckner, directed the orchestra for forty three years and gave approximately 1300 concerts.
With Erich Schmid (1949-1957) and Hans Rosbaud (1957-1962), post-war music entered the repertoire.

From 1965 to 1972, Rudolf Kempe devoted himself above all to German romanticism. The creative programming policy of Gerd Albrecht (who introduced concerts for children and families) had a major influence on the musical life of Zurich.
In 1982, the pianist Christoph Eschenbach held his first post as conductor here. He was succeeded by Hiroshi Wakasugi then Claus Peter Flor.
From its very beginning, the orchestra has been directed by very famous composers such as Brahms, Wagner, R. Strauss and Hindemith. Ansermet, Furtwängler, Klemperer, Solti and Haitink were also regular guest conductors, as were Frans Brüggen, Mariss Jansons, Mstislav Rostropovitch and Wolfgang Sawallisch in recent years.
Since its 1995/96 season, the orchestra has been conducted by David Zinman.

Formerly a small Gallo-Roman town (Turicum), destroyed in the 5th century by the Alemanni, then rebuilt, Zurich became a free imperial town in 1218. In 1336 the Constitution of the guilds was established, and this formed the political organisation of Zurich until 1798.

In May 1351, Zurich joined the Swiss Confederation; it grew in importance by taking over neighbouring seigneuries and built its prosperity on its textile industry.

The Zurich Reform introduced by Zwingli from 1519, transformed the town into a Protestant centre. All the sacraments were done away with, as were the monasteries. In 1798, Zurich was invaded by foreign conquerors for the first time and was fought over by the French, Austrian, German and Russian armies. These invasions claimed many victims but the Congress of Vienna (1815) re-established the borders of Switzerland. But it was not until the liberal revolution of 1830 that the town experienced real expansion.

In 1848, Zurich established a democratic confederation based on the American model. This Constitution common to all the cantons obliged them to abandon their individual customs, weights and measures systems and currencies. Switzerland as a unified country was born. The town then experienced significant demographic growth throughout the second half of the 19th century.

During the major conflicts of the 20th century, the Swiss managed to preserve their neutrality. While Europe struggled to rebuild itself following the war, the Confederation built up its commercial, financial and industrial power. Zurich became an international centre in the banking and insurance sector.

Today, Zurich is the Confederation’s principal city in terms of the size of its population and because of the economic, financial and commercial position it occupies in the country. This city is considered the economic capital, leaving the function of political capital to Bern.

Famous Figures

A great many poets, philosophers and composers have lived in Zurich: Richard Wagner, Gottfried Keller, Hermann Hesse, James Joyce... Commemorative plaques and busts recalling these figures can be spotted on a stroll through the city.

Zurich is a metropolis with contemporary architecture, but it is also a city with small picturesque streets and an old town centre. Swiss architects such as Le Corbusier, Peter Zumthor, Mario Botta and Herzog & De Meuron have left their mark on the city’s visual appearance. Buildings and monuments bear witness to all the great historical periods of European architecture.

The Romanesque Style
Many great Romanesque buildings were put up in German-speaking Switzerland such as the Grossmünster church (12th – 13th century).

Classicism
In 1848, the town demolished its ramparts and underwent a major industrial expansion. The new fortunes led to the construction of sumptuous villas. Classicism became the obligatory style for many public and administrative buildings, hospitals, schools, museums.
An example: The Zur Zimmerleuten guild house (1708)

The “Neo Renaissance” Style
The building of the Federal Polytechnic of Zurich (1864), designed by Gottfried Semper is an imposing neo-Renaissance style building constructed in the upper part of the city. Other towns (Winterthur, Lausanne, Bienne) soon drew inspiration from it.

The Neo Gothic Style
The Swiss National Museum (1898, Gustave Gull) built in the style of Gothic castles evokes the Switzerland of the Middle Ages.

The Neo Baroque Style
The economic and political elite took their inspiration from the architecture of the great European capitals. People were no longer content with the rigorous and sober Republican style and a desire for luxury began to make its presence felt. New hotels, villas, banks, stations, post offices… saw the light of day.
Examples: the Fraumünster church, Hauptbahnhof (main train station), Zum Oberen Schonenberg house (1665), the Post Office by the architect Eugène Jost, the "Zunfthaus zur Meisen" guild house.

Some Highlights

Walks in the town centre…

In the surrounding area

Buildings and Historic Monuments :

- St Peter Church: This is the city’s oldest parish church. The 13th century bell-tower has the largest clock face in Europe

- Grossmünster Cathedral: This 11th - 13th century cathedral is the symbol of Reformation in German-speaking Switzerland and the very emblem of the city. With its dual Romanesque spires, the Grossmünster dominates the old districts. The building, with its 2 immense towers on the façade, overlooks the Limmat river. In the choir and the crypt there are several interesting vestiges and frescoes. It also boasts modern stained-glass windows by Augusto Giacometti.

- Fraumünster Church: Built between the 12th and 15th centuries and situated in the heart of the city, it is famous above all for its stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall. The rest of the church is mainly Gothic, although the choir is Romanesque in style.

Parks and Gardens :

- The Lindenhof garden : This shady garden right in the centre of the old town overhangs the Niederdorf and the cathedrals. Built in the middle of the Roman ruins and fortifications of the imperial castle (around which the town of Zurich was built), here you can see the fountain built to commemorate the courage of the people of Zurich during the siege of 1292.

- The Chinese garden:
The Chinese garden was a gift from a Chinese province to thank Zurich for the help given to Kunming (Chine) for the installation of its water purifying station. The garden reproduces all the elements of a small Imperial garden.

- The Zürichhorn park allows you to take in the lake and see “Eurêka”, Tinguely’s world-famous machine.

- The park which surrounds the Rietbergmuseum (specialising in oriental arts) is Zurich’s green oasis. It also affords a magnificent view over the city and the lake.

- The Bahnhofstrasse : This avenue with its façades that harmoniously combine ancient and modern architecture, was built on the site of the town’s ramparts destroyed 150 years ago. Directly linking the banks of the lake with the central train station, it is the main thoroughfare of the most important Swiss business centre. The entire length of the avenue (1.4 km) is lined with luxury shops and banks and is considered one of the finest shopping streets in the world.

- The Niederdorf : An old district of the town with traditional decorated and colourful houses now converted into boutiques. This is where the Grossmünster and Fraumünster churches are located

- Münsterhof : A square opposite the Fraumünster church, surrounded by old houses, not far from the very famous Zunfthaus “Zur Waag” dating from the 17th century.

- The river banks : On the left bank of the Limmat you can ferret for antiques, while on the right bank, you will find a great many boutiques, galleries, secondhand booksellers and shops selling contemporary furniture.

- The banks of the lake offer a lot of amenities. They are dotted with parks, swimming pools and picnic areas. You can also take boat tours on the lake.

Rapperswil
The town was founded around 1200. Many of the façades of the houses of the old town are decorated with paintings such as for example the battle of Sempach on the Town Hall square. The St Johannes church dates from the 13th century and was rebuilt in 1883 after a fire. To the left of the church is the Gothic style cemetery chapel dating from 1489. To the west a vaulted gate leads to the castle of Rapperswil, whose 12th century fortress stands on a rock. The imposing powder house closes the northern corner of the citadel. The interior of the castle houses a museum.
Website : www.swisscastles.ch/StGallen/rapperswil.html

The Pfannenstiel : This is one of the favourite excursions for people from the Zurich region looking for peace and quiet. Situated above Lake Zurich, with many nature reserves, it is a lovely place to relax and it affords magnificent viewpoints. The panorama extends from the Alps in the east to the Greifensee passing through Lake Zurich and the Alps of central Switzerland.

The Uetliberg
Website : www.uetliberg.ch
This small mountain, 874 m high, ideal for hiking, gives you a peaceful view of the town, its suburbs and its lake, and also, on clear days, the snow-capped peaks of the mountains (Jungfrau, Säntis…). Once at the top, a few more steps to climb and you discover an impressive panorama over almost the whole of Switzerland.
The lake of Türlen, where you can bathe, is also worth a visit.

Winterthur
A former industrial town, Winterthur has become famous as a centre for the arts.

Baden is the oldest thermal spa in Switzerland. It is on the Limmat river, 24 km upstream from Zurich in the Aargau canton. An ancient town with a historic past and a very lively present, it is worth a detour for its museums, its setting … and also for its famous Grand Casino Baden (www.grandcasinobaden.ch ).

Food & Drink

Festivals, Customs and Traditions

Regional recipes

Fondue: a genuine national institution. Pieces of bread are speared onto the end of a fork then dipped in the melted cheese mixture.
Raclette: a half-round of cheese is melted, then the soft part scraped with a large flat knife and served with potatoes.
Röstis: a large potato cake made of grated potato, fried until golden.
Émincé à la Zurichoise: émincé of veal and kidney in a cream sauce with white wine and mushrooms.
Papet Vaudois: sausage cooked with cabbage and served with potatoes and leeks.
Wheat flour soup: made with toasted flour and onions cut into rounds.
Soupe du Chalet: a soup based on potatoes, spinach, beans, turnips and macaroni
Bölletünne: onion tart with diced bacon, sour cream, eggs and cumin.
Grisons meat: salted, spiced and dried lean beef.
Potée valaisanne: smoked salt pork hotpot with turnips, cabbage, leeks and potatoes.
Malakoffs: savoury gruyere doughnuts.
Zug Kirschtorte: sponge cake with butter cream and kirsch.
Läckerli from Basel: small cakes with honey and almonds, spiced and sprinkled with kirsch.
Pear bread: a croustade filled with a jelly of pears cooked in red wine, figs, prunes, dates and a mixture of almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts.

Chocolate
Switzerland built its reputation for chocolate in the 19th century, thanks to several distinguished figures: the first of them, Amédée Kohler, had the idea of mixing chocolate and hazelnuts as early as the 1830s. Forty five years later, Daniel Peter, a great milk drinker, had the idea of combining his favourite drink with cocoa and created milk chocolate.

Later still, Rodolphe Lindt perfected a new process for refining chocolate by adding cocoa butter to the paste. And finally, in 1913, Jules Séchaud was the first to think of filling his chocolates.

Swiss cheeses

Soft cheese with a bloom rind: A tomme-style cheese from the canton of Vaud
Hard cheese made from scalded curds: Appenzel, Emmenthal, gruyere, Sbrinz
Other cheeses: Royalp, Raclette, mozzarella

Wines

The white wines are made mainly from Chasselas grapes, but also from Sylvaner, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc or Chardonnay. Wines to try: Amigne, Petite Arvine and Humagne Blanc.

The red wines are mainly based on Gamay and Pinot Noir, but also Merlot. Wines to try: Humagne Rouge from Valais or, even better but a good deal rarer, Cornalin.

- June International Festival Theatre, music and all kinds of art, with special productions, concerts and exhibitions throughout the city
- International Jazz Festival, end of October.

Festivals outside Zurich :

- The Kyburgiade (early August) includes a whole series of chamber music concerts in the Kyburg cast.
(Website : www.kyburgiade.ch)

- The Albanifäscht (June), largely devoted to jazz, is the most popular annual event.

- The Musikfestwochen is a music festival offering 17 days of cultural events in the heart of the old town
See Calendar.

Zurich public holidays and Festivals

The Sechselauten: the Spring festival
Spring begins officially with this celebration held on the third Monday in April. It consists of four elements: the children’s parade and the guild parade, the burning of a straw effigy, the Böögg, and night-time visits between the guilds. During this festival, music and lanterns immerse Zurich in a very special atmosphere that is not to be missed.

The Knabenschiessen takes place on the second Monday in September, and is the city’s oldest tradition. This shooting competition was already held 500 years ago for boys. The arm then used was a crossbow. Since 1696, both boys and girls have used rifles. Winning is a great honour and is rewarded with gifts donated by companies. This shooting is accompanied by a fair with many attractions.

Saint Nicolas
This festival anticipates that on the set date, Saint Nicolas arrives with his "Schmutzli" (Bogeyman), takes the presents that the parents have left in front of the door and goes inside to see the children. He introduces himself, talks to the children about their good and bad points and encourages them to do better throughout the year. Saint Nicolas then distributes the presents prepared by the parents as well as goodies. In the evening this festival makes way to processions of children with their lit-up masks parade in the streets.

Street parade
The second weekend in August every year, the Love Parade draws people in their thousands.

Things to Do

Hotels

Restaurants

Museums

Zurich is the Swiss town with the most museums and permanent or temporary exhibitions.

- Landesmuseum - Museumstrasse 2 - 8023 Zürich - Tel: +41 1 218 65 11 – Website : www.musee-suisse.ch

Switzerland’s National Museum housed in a castle to the north of the town centre has the most important collection relating to the history of Swiss civilisation and a rich collection of art from very different periods. Prehistory, especially the Neolithic period, is one of the most important elements. The collection from the Middle Ages (pieces from the time of the knights, wooden sculptures…) is another central feature of the museum. Also remarkable is the monumental work by Ferdinand Hodler “the Retreat of the Confederates at Marignan” which is in the armoury.

- The Kunsthaus (Fine Arts Museum)
Heimplatz 1- 8001 Zürich - Tel: +41 1 253 84 84
Website : www.kunsthaus.ch

This impressive museum has on display a vast and superb permanent collection from the Renaissance to the present day. Thus religious art from the 15th century rubs shoulders with Monet, Manet and Man Ray. Major temporary exhibitions are also held (Giacometti, Hodler, Munch, Chagall…)

- Rietbergmuseum:
Gablerstrasse 15- 8002 Zurich
Tel: +41 1 206 31 31/+41 1 206 31 00
Website: www.rietberg.ch

The collection of non-European art of the Rietbergmuseum includes precious collections of Asian art (mainly from India, Cambodia and China), as well as from Africa and Oceania.

- Sukkulenten Sammlung
Mythenquai 88 - 8002 Zürich
Tel: +41 1 201 45 54
E-mail sukkulenten@gsz.stzh.ch

This museum houses one of the richest collections of succulents and cacti. Zurich has indeed become an oasis where numerous plants threatened with extinction are protected.

- The Beyer Zurich museum of watchmaking
Bahnhostrasse 31- 8001 Zurich - Tel: + 43 344 63 63
Website : www.beyer-ch.com

A collection of over 500 pieces (wristwatches, pocket watches and clocks) from the 15th to the 20th century. To this day, the watchmaking industry is one of the jewels of the Swiss economy.

Hotels

Music & Opera’s partners

Zurich specialities

Kunsthaus restaurant
Heimplatz 1 - Tel: +41 1 289 02 02
Zurich specialities

Münsterhof
Münsterhof 6 -Tel : +41 1 211 43 40
Zurich specialities and the best "röstis"

Swiss specialities

Adler's Swiss Chuchi
Rosengasse 10 -Tel : +41 1 266 96 66
This restaurant offers a typical Swiss atmosphere, in the middle of the old town

Jacky's Stapferstube
Culmannstrasse 45 -Tel : +41 1 361 37 48
Great steaks and excellent wine.

Raclette Stube
Zähringerstrasse 16 - Tel: +41 1 251 41 30
Cheese specialities and beef fondue in a real Swiss restaurant.

Veltliner Keller
Schlüsselgasse 8 - Tel : +41 1 225 4040
French, Italian and Zurich specialities. Try the famous émincé of veal. Pleasant and intimate Atmosphere.

Walliser Keller, im Hotel Zürcherhof
Zähringerstr. 21 - Tel : +41 1 262 10 40
Raclette, Cheese and beef fondue, … with the best cheeses of the city !.

Zeughauskeller
Bahnhofstr. 28a - Tel : +41 1 211 26 90
A typical Brasserie in the old arsenal. A Popular restaurant.

Tea Houses, Cake shop and Chocolate

Schober confiserie
Napfgasse 4 - Tel +41 1 251 80 60
The cake shop sales sweet pies, and you can also have in the Café a hot chocolate, delicious Apfelstrudel and many different teas.

Sprüngli confiserie
Paradeplatz - Bahnhofstrasse 21
Tel : +41 1 224 47 11.
A real institution. Try the double macarons, many tastes available : chocolate, vanilla, champagne. You can also find chocolate truffles, pralines…