A third decade begins

As tradition dictates, the 17 days of festivities will be opened by the Verbier Festival Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit (July 18), with Martha Argerich at the piano.

This season's focus is on singing. Opera has been a regular feature at the Verbier Festival since 2009, with one or two performances per season. The 21st edition will feature five operas in concert version: The Damnation of Faust by Berlioz, Fidelio by Beethoven, Il Tabarro by Puccini, Il re pastore by Mozart and L'elisir d'amore by Donizetti.

Lied music will also be in the spotlight, with two Mahler cycles performed by Thomas Hampson. Anne Sofie von Otter, meanwhile, will present an evening dedicated to French songs and melodies.

Piano and chamber music are traditionally at the heart of the Verbier Festival, and the 21st edition will be no exception, featuring Martin Helmchen, Christian Zacharias and a series of illustrious representatives of the Russian school, including Grigory Sokolov, Evgeny Kissin, Kirill Gerstein, Mikhail Pletnev and Daniil Trifonov.

As part of its commitment to providing a platform for young talent, this summer the Verbier Festival is hosting the finals of the Vendome Prize international piano competition.

As for chamber music, the program is eclectic. Violinist Daniel Hope returns to the Verbier Festival with two thematic evenings: one dedicated to Brahms and his contemporaries, the other to Baroque music. Renaud Capuçon, Kirill Troussov, Mischa Maisky, Kirill Gerstein and Evgeny Kissin will explore Jewish culture and music through the works of composers Milner, Bloch, Kryn, Veprik and Weinberg.

Verbier's summertime vibrancy is also due to the 150 young orchestral musicians from all over the world who perform with the Verbier Festival Orchestra (the symphony orchestra) and the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.

This year's world music evening will feature Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour.

More info: www.verbierfestival.com