Say “Chamonix”, and most people immediately picture snow-covered mountains and skiing in the winter, and hiking and white-water rafting in the summer.
Less well known – but steadily gaining international recognition – is its annual classical music festival, Chamonix Vallée Classics, which is taking place from July 29 to August 5.
Now in its third year, it has already showcased world-class performers, including pianist and Angela Hewitt and the Modigliani Quartet, who might be more used to playing in venues like the Wigmore Hall and Carnegie Hall, but are attracted to Chamonix by the breathtaking scenery of Mont Blanc and the intimacy of the concerts.
Gearing up for opening night on Wednesday are its founders, north-west London Jewish couple David and Denise Joseph, who have been holidaying in Chamonix for over 20 years.
David came up with the idea around five years ago, after a conversation with Bernard de Launoit, executive president and CEO of the famous Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel (Chappelle de la Reine) in Belgium and also a regular visitor to Chamonix.
“We were talking about how important music is in our lives,” said the KC, who is also a trustee of the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC). “I said to him: ‘How about we do something here?’ We began to talk about it, and then he stopped answering my texts. Sadly, I found out that he had died very suddenly. I thought: ‘Do I continue with this or do I stop?’ I’ve never backed down from anything in my life, so I decided to carry on. It’s not always been easy, but I’m pleased I made the decision.”
The first festival was dedicated to Bernard’s memory and his wife, Vanessa, has since become one of its patrons.
David Joseph (Photo: courtesy)[Missing Credit]
From the start, Denise, who is an accountant and runs the family business, was fully supportive of David’s vision – but also pragmatic. “It was David’s project, but I said to him: ‘Who is going to do the logistics?’ And he looked at me with those eyes.”
To help put it all together, the couple have established a UK charity, the CVC Music Foundation, as well as a French not-for-profit, and they work with a committee of 14 English and French fellow music lovers.
Denise, who is a trustee of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research (JPR), Jewish-Muslim women’s network Nisa-Nashim, and the British Friends of the Hebrew University, has taken on a lot of the practicalities. This extends beyond the concerts, and this year, they are hosting a private viewing of painting by Gabriel Loppé, the celebrated painter, photographer, mountaineer, traveller, at the new Musée du Mont Blanc, followed by a gin-tasting.
But it is the music that most people come for. When they launched the festival in 2024, they asked the Jerusalem Quartet, whom they know well, to open it. This year, its cellist, Kyril Zlotnikov, is returning to play as part of a piano quartet, and Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg is performing again for the second year.
But neither faith nor nationality come into play when creating the programme. “I feel quite strongly that music shouldn’t be used politically in either direction,” says David. “I think it’s ridiculous to boycott artists or think that the world needs to hear Jewish artists. Music speaks to a higher truth. It’s an access point to your emotions – whether you feel joyful, sad or exhilarated.
“I’ve had people come up to me afterwards and say: ‘I’d never heard classical music before, and when I heard this, I just cried.’ And I say: ‘That means you understood it.’”
Denise Joseph (Photo: courtesy)[Missing Credit]
Nonetheless, the couple, who have three grown-up sons and are members of South Hampstead Synagogue, say music is “embedded” in their Jewish practice. “It’s in our South Hampstead services, sederim, Shabbatot, Chanukah, and music can be traced back a long way, such as the Song of the Sea,” says David.
While he doesn’t play an instrument and Denise used to play the piano and flute “badly”, they describe themselves as “mélomanes” – which translates as “music lovers” in French – and both grew up in homes steeped in music.
David’s dad, Joe, a doctor, played the violin and had a beautiful singing voice, recalls his son. “He was born in Germany, and when he came to the UK, he was penniless and earnt his living as an itinerant chazan. It was how he paid his way through medical school.”
Denise’s parents were “mad opera lovers, and my dad always had Wagner blaring. He came to the UK with nothing in 1939, but after the war, he would visit Vienna for the music. He just loved music and that has rubbed off on me.
She recalls that long after her mother lost her ability to communicate, due to brain cancer, “she could still enjoy classical music on the radio”.
While both love opera, the size of the venues – Espace Michel Croz 2 and Église Saint-Michel – means that staging one isn’t an option, but the last night of the festival will see award-winning French soprano Axelle Fanyo performing, accompanied by Indian American pianist and former BBC New Generation artist Kunal Lahiry. There will be audience participation of sorts, with listeners invited to select the programme from Weill, Copland and Debussy numbers, among others.
View from outside concert venue Espace Michel Croz 2 (Photo: courtesy)[Missing Credit]
Other festival highlights include French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, well known for his award-winning performances and recordings of Ravel, who will be performing some of his works, and the French/Belgian Danel Quartet, who will play a programme of Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.
The synergy between the music and the breathtaking backdrop of snow-capped mountains and crystal-clear lakes only adds to the magic of the festival, say its founders. “In this natural environment, you feel the beauty of the world, and music heightens that,” says Denise. “After a previous festival, someone wrote to us and said: ‘If anyone ever doubted the existence of God, this proved the existence of a greater being. I felt an angel on my shoulder.’”
Pianist Boris Giltburg (Photo: Sasha Gusov)[Missing Credit]
And for many, the music is a welcome antidote to days spent taking part in extreme sports. “It’s that contrast between intense physical activity and the emotional power of music,” says David.
As long-time visitors to the Chamonix community, the couple say it’s important that the town “feels a sense of ownership of the festival – that it’s not just something which is done to them”.
To that end, they have formed what they describe as “a social partnership” with a local charity called A Chacun Son Everest ( ‘To each, his/her own Everest’), a charity providing women and children with cancer or who are in post-treatment with activity retreats in Chamonix, to encourage physical and mental healing. The charity supplies volunteers for the music festival and, in return, the Josephs make a donation and raise awareness of its work.
The organisation’s mission also resonates deeply with them. “When one of our sons was 23, he had cancer, and Chamonix was the most beautiful place for his rehabilitation,” says Denise.
Cellist Edgar MoreauJohn Blanch Productions
With busy day jobs and a raft of voluntary work in the UK, one wonders how the couple find the time – or the headspace – to run a music festival.
Not only do they live by the mantra, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person”, but, says David: “We all need a portfolio of stuff which feeds and nourishes different parts of us. I love the cut and thrust of my job as a KC, but the festival is different. This is food for the soul.”
The Chamonix Vallée Classics Festival runs from July 29 to August 5. Each concert will include 30 free tickets for each concert for those under 30. For programme details, go to cvc-festival.com/en/home/ or click here
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