Pianist Nelson Goerner launches festival in La Chaux-de-Fonds to resonate in Salle de musique

Argentine pianist Nelson Goerner is set to launch the inaugural edition of a new music festival in the Swiss mountains of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Goerner, who has been based in Geneva since the 1990s, expressed his enthusiasm for the Salle de musique, a venue renowned for its superior acoustics and the clarity with which sound travels.

"I find that it exudes something very warm," Goerner stated about the hall. "The sounds are surrounded by a kind of aura: something soft, what I would call a roundness of sound. When recording in this hall, you don't need to tamper with anything; the microphones just need to capture the natural ambiance."

The festival is a project Goerner has carefully considered, receiving encouragement from his friend and fellow Argentine musician, Martha Argerich. Argerich played a significant role in Goerner's early career, helping him secure a scholarship to study at the Conservatoire de musique de Genève in 1987 after he distinguished himself at the Franz Liszt Competition in Buenos Aires.

Goerner, who was less than 20 years old when he began his studies in Geneva, now aims to bring a new cultural event to the Neuchâtel mountains. The festival's establishment in the Salle de musique promises to leverage the venue's acclaimed acoustic properties, offering a unique experience for both performers and audiences.

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I find that it exudes something very warm. The sounds are surrounded by a kind of aura: something soft, what I would call a roundness of sound. When recording in this hall, you don't need to tamper with anything; the microphones just need to capture the natural ambiance.