The Way to Freedom – Escape to Exile VII ID:
Choral and Symphony Concert
Saturday, 30. August 2025
7:30 p.m., Gstaad Festival Tent
Piero Pretti replaces tenor Joseph Calleja
Due to an acute illness, tenor Joseph Calleja will unfortunately be unable to take part in Verdi’s Requiem in Gstaad on 30 August. We wish him a safe and speedy recovery!
We are especially grateful that Italian tenor Piero Pretti has agreed to step in at short notice. With his radiant voice, passionate stage presence and brilliant technique, Pretti has long secured a leading place among the great names of the international opera world.
Whether on the world’s most renowned stages—from La Scala in Milan to the Metropolitan Opera—or in acclaimed roles such as Rodolfo, Don José and Cavaradossi, Pretti captivates audiences and critics alike. He is regarded not only as a master of bel canto, but also as a charismatic singer who infuses every note with emotion and draws listeners under his spell.
A requiem in the style of opera? Perhaps. But more than anything, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem is a heartfelt, emotional eruption. Profoundly moving, it stands among the most powerful lyrical achievements of Italy’s national hero. Verdi composed this monumental work in mourning for the great poet and dear friend Alessandro Manzoni, a fellow icon of the Italian Risorgimento. The Messa da Requiem is a tour de force, making it an ideal showcase for the Zurich Opera House ensemble under the direction of Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda, who has been General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House since the 2021/22 season. With a stellar quartet of soloists – Eleonora Buratto, Elina Garanča, Piero Pretti and Roberto Tagliavini – the evening promises to become an unforgettable experience!
My concert visit
Arrival by public transport
Our tips: Use our festival bus, which will take you directly to the Festival Tent from two directions: Further information can be found here.
Benefit from a 20% discount on your public transportation journey: Details can be found here.
Arriving by private car
However, there are several parking lots available in the surrounding area, just a few minutes' walk from the Festival Tent.
Our tip: Use the parking lot at the Talstation Wispile and take the free shuttle service from there, which will take you comfortably to the entrance of the venue. From Saanen, please follow the signs with the Park + Ride symbol. Overview of parking options
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'description': 'Sustainable to the festival: Our bus service '
'is at your disposal from Wangen an der Aare, '
'Bern and Lausanne for this concert.<br />\r\n'
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'description': '<p><em><strong>Piero Pretti replaces tenor Joseph '
'Calleja</strong></em><br />\r\n'
'<em>Due to an acute illness, tenor Joseph Calleja will '
'unfortunately be unable to take part in Verdi’s Requiem '
'in Gstaad on 30 August. We wish him a safe and speedy '
'recovery!</em></p>\r\n'
'\r\n'
'<p><em>We are especially grateful that Italian tenor Piero '
'Pretti has agreed to step in at short notice. With his '
'radiant voice, passionate stage presence and brilliant '
'technique, Pretti has long secured a leading place among the '
'great names of the international opera world.<br />\r\n'
'Whether on the world’s most renowned stages—from '
'La Scala in Milan to the Metropolitan Opera—or in '
'acclaimed roles such as Rodolfo, Don José and '
'Cavaradossi, Pretti captivates audiences and critics alike. '
'He is regarded not only as a master of bel canto, but also as '
'a charismatic singer who infuses every note with emotion and '
'draws listeners under his spell.</em></p>\r\n'
'\r\n'
'<hr />\r\n'
'<p>A requiem in the style of opera? Perhaps. But more than '
'anything, Verdi’s <em>Messa da '
'Requiem</em> is a heartfelt, emotional eruption. '
'Profoundly moving, it stands among the most powerful lyrical '
'achievements of Italy’s national hero. Verdi composed '
'this monumental work in mourning for the great poet and dear '
'friend Alessandro Manzoni, a fellow icon of the '
'Italian Risorgimento. The <em>Messa da '
'Requiem</em> is a tour de force, making it an ideal '
'showcase for the Zurich Opera House ensemble under the '
'direction of Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda, who has '
'been General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House since '
'the 2021/22 season. With a stellar quartet of soloists '
'– Eleonora Buratto, Elina Garanča, Piero '
'Pretti and Roberto Tagliavini – the evening '
'promises to become an unforgettable experience!</p>',
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'<details class="folding"><summary class="folding__less"> Arrival by '
'public transport </summary>\r\n'
'<div class="hinweisBody folding__more">We recommend that you plan '
'your journey to Gstaad train station. From there, it is around a '
'15-minute walk to the Festival Tent. Alternatively, the '
'«Gstaad, Sportzentrum» post bus stop is located '
'directly at the venue. Please take note of each concert’s '
'duration to plan your return journey by public transport '
'accordingly.<br />\r\n'
'Our tips: Use our festival bus, which will take you directly to the '
'Festival Tent from two directions: <a '
'href="https://www.gstaadmenuhinfestival.ch/en/service/your-visit/bus-service"> '
'Further information can be found here.</a><br />\r\n'
'Benefit from a 20% discount on your public transportation journey: '
'<a '
'href="https://www.gstaadmenuhinfestival.ch/en/service/your-visit/sbb-public-transport-ticket"> '
'Details can be found here.</a></div>\r\n'
'</details>\r\n'
'\r\n'
'<details class="folding"><summary class="folding__less"> Arriving '
'by private car </summary>\r\n'
'\r\n'
'<div class="hinweisBody folding__more">If you are arriving by car, '
'please note that it is not possible to drive directly to the '
'venue.<br />\r\n'
'However, there are several parking lots available in the '
'surrounding area, just a few minutes' walk from the Festival '
'Tent.<br />\r\n'
'Our tip: Use the parking lot at the Talstation Wispile and take the '
'free shuttle service from there, which will take you comfortably to '
'the entrance of the venue. From Saanen, please follow the signs '
'with the Park + Ride symbol. <a '
'href="https://www.gstaadmenuhinfestival.ch/en/service/your-visit/navigation-and-parking">Overview '
'of parking options </a></div>\r\n'
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'\t\t\t<td colspan="2"><strong>Giuseppe Verdi</strong> '
'(1813–1901)</td>\r\n'
'\t\t</tr>\r\n'
'\t\t<tr class="rowWork">\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td>Messa da Requiem</td>\r\n'
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'\t\t</tr>\r\n'
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'\t\t\t<td> </td>\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td><strong>90' </strong>(without interval)</td>\r\n'
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'title': 'The Way to Freedom – Escape to Exile VII',
'title2': 'Choral and Symphony Concert',
'topics': []}
Eleonora Buratto, Soprano
Elina Garanča, Mezzo-Soprano
Piero Pretti, Tenor
Roberto Tagliavini, Bass
Chor der Oper Zürich
Orchester der Oper Zürich
Gianandrea Noseda, Conductor
| Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) | |
| Messa da Requiem | |
| 90' (without interval) | |