The seventh edition of the Alpine Music Festival will be held in Saas-Fee from 7 to10 July 2011. This year there will be 14 groups from Switzerland participating (11 performing typical Swiss music, called Ländler music, and three alphorn groups), plus the Austrian folk music band “Die Mooskirchner”, who are featured regularly on the popular TV show Musikanten-Stadl.
This will be the seventh edition of the Alpine Music Festival to be staged under the motto of folk music. Visitors to this festival can look forward to experiencing authentic folk music in the lovely village of Saas-Fee, against a spectacular backdrop of thirteen 4,000-metre peaks – a setting that cannot fail to inspire musicians and listeners alike. Folk music pearls in the Pearl of the Alps!
As in past years, the 2011 edition of the festival offers plenty to look forward to: a diverse mix of traditional folk and Ländler music, popular German Schlager hits and alphorn sounds that is sure to delight the hearts of fans of authentic roots music. For the four days of the festival, the entire village of Saas-Fee will be transformed into a stage, with Ländler groups playing on restaurant sun terraces, alphorn groups performing at various points around the village, and diverse concerts on the village square. And that’s not all! Local societies, all 14 groups participating in the festival as well as other internationally known acts will be inviting guests to party and dance in the festival hall.
Four days full of music
The festival will kick off on Thursday with dance performances and entertainment provided by local societies in the festival hall, followed by an exclusive live appearance by regional favourites “z’Hansrüedi Endfrenz”, one of only few concerts they will give in 2011. The many fans of “z’Hansrüedi Endfrenz” know what that means – great musical entertainment by a band who genuinely love what they do and really know how to create a party atmosphere.
On Friday evening, the Ländler groups participating in the festival will give all guests a warm welcome with a joint concert on the village square, after which the various groups will give their first live performances in local restaurants. There will be more joint concerts on the village square and appearances by individual groups in various restaurants on Saturday and Sunday. One group will even be appearing in one of the area’s many mountain chalet restaurants, providing guests with a unique opportunity to enjoy authentic folk music in lofty heights with stunning views of the village below and the panorama of the majestic 4,000 metre peaks surrounding the Saas Valley. This year the visitors can again looking forward to the AlpPan Duo that will entertain audiences with their unusual Alpine horn and panpipe duets as well as to some further alphorn groups – all moving freely through the village and playing at different places in Saas-Fee.
A fantastic night of folk music with the Mürztaler
The great night of folk music will have locals and visitors alike flocking to the festival hall on Saturday for an evening of music, dancing and partying till the wee hours of the morning, with all Ländler groups and the three alphorn groups taking the stage. The evening’s main act, Austrian group “Die Mooskirchner”, is sure to make the crowd go wild with their rousing mix of folk music and popular Schlager. Ever since they were founded by the group’s band leader Helmut Freydl in 1989, “Die Mooskirchner” have been chalking up one success after another. In the mid-1990s, they were even dubbed the philharmonic orchestra of German-language folk music in the international music press. They have since been invited onto Karl Moik’s popular folk music show “Musikantenstadl” numerous times and have appeared in scores of other TV shows, including “Lustige Musikanten”, “Volkstümliche Hitparade” (ZDF), “Schlagerparade der Volksmusik” (ARD), “Wenn die Musik spielt” (ORF), and the “Hansi Hinterseer Show” (ORF/ARD). Over 3,000 live performances in Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, France, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Turkey, and on Mediterranean cruise ships, plus a tour of Australia including an appearance at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, testify to the degree of popularity enjoyed by these six enormously likable fellows. But their success has never gone to their heads: “Die Mooskirchner” remain as down to earth as ever and continue to deliver performances that are as compelling as they are genuine. Their totally live performances feature their own numbers as well as big band music, various classics and cover versions of international hits.
Visitors to the Alpine Music Festival in Saas-Fee can expect a great mix of tradition, folklore, authentic folk music and Schlager – it is an event that promises fun, entertainment, and plenty of opportunities to meet like- minded people. It’s a rare festival where musicians and audiences get a chance to mingle so closely – so make sure you note the date in your diary!
You can find further information on the Festival as well as the current programme by going to: www.saas-fee.ch/iamf or direct by phoning the Tourist Office Saas-Fee/Saastal: 027 958 18 58.
