Christine Huvos on stage at the Zurich Volkshaus

La Vie en Rose – the night Christine Huvos lived it

Thursday 30 November 2017

This was the evening that Christine Huvos Federspiel always hoped she’d celebrate – an occasion to sing on stage some of her favourite chansons and standards in front of an audience of her friends and members of the public. Thanks to her husband, the well-known Zurich GP Dr. Urs Federspiel, on Thursday 30 November 2017 she was at last able to realise her ambition – and in what style! In a collaboration with the Pepe Lienhard Big Band and to the benefit of the hospital support charity Lebensfreude, Christine took to the stage of the famous Zurich Volkshaus to sing many of her favourite songs on the occasion of her 60^th birthday. And thanks to advice from Pepe and support from a dedicated group of backstage workers, on a very snowy night she succeeded in raising the roof.

Stylish songstress

The program consisted of big band standards and swing numbers from the 18-strong Pepe Lienhard outfit interspersed with vocal classics in the style of Hollywood, Piaf and Christine’s own inimitable style. Thanks to help from her dresser and stylist Susann Melzer, Christine graced the stage in three glittery dresses in gold, red and black, together with a number of suitable props. Her voice was on strong form tonight as she managed to avoid all the seasonal coughs and colds plaguing some audience members. She never put a foot, or a note, wrong. And Christine’s formidable language skills once again stood her in good stead as she performed Mack the Knife, Petite Fleur and Big Spender with equal grace and ease. The Zurich-based band accompanied Christine with appropriately subtle and supportive brass sounds, enhanced by solos on clarinet, saxophone and piano.

Master of ceremonies Röbi Koller ensured that the program ran smoothly, and he also quizzed our favourite diva about her background – how did she come to be at ease in so many languages? She explained that she was born in the US, grew up in Vienna, studied in America and in Paris, and taught in international schools before settling down to enjoy her life in Zurich. She could also have mentioned that for fifteen or more years she has been a leading light in ZIWA, the Zurich International Women’s Association, where she founded the On Stage group, and now runs a French Conversation group as well as participating in many other social activities.

Wonderful big band

How the collaboration with Pepe Lienhard for this event came about is unclear – maybe the wives know something -, but the band certainly acquitted themselves wonderfully on this iconic stage, where Lenin once spoke. They opened the show with a Count Basie number, The Heat is On, followed up by I’ll Never Smile Again. Surely not true? In between vocal sets, they performed such classics as Moonlight Serenade and In the Mood (remember the Glen Miller Story?), Moanin’ featuring a trumpet solo, and Sing, Sing, Sing showcasing the drums, and ending on an optimistic note with the World War II classic, We’ll Meet Again.  We also witnessed a brief but touching moment when Christine’s husband Urs came on stage for a dance with his talented wife; I’m sure that didn’t go unnoticed by the many of his patients in the audience.

Great support team

In order to achieve this seamless performance, Christine owes thanks to a number of people: her dresser Susann Melzer from MODISSA, dramatic advisor Isabelle Gutleben, stylists Claudine Gablinger, Bettina Psora and Philippe Diaz, photographer Niklaus Stauss, film-maker and long-time collaborator Eugen Schwyn, lighting operator Simon Blum, Mary-Jane Parlett from the Arthur Murray Dance School and her brother Giuseppi Parlett, and practice assistants Andrea Baumann and Melanie Nef. Not to forget rehearsal accompanist Csilla Varga, and, very importantly, music arranger Carlo Schöb.

And with the eventual proceeds from the sale of CDs, ticket sales, and any DVDs going to local hospital charity Stiftung Lebensfreude, I’m quite sure that the evening turned out to be everything that Christine had hoped for and more! She can finally say with conviction ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’.

www.stiftung-lebensfreude.ch  http://www.pepelienhard.ch/

Julia Newton. 8 December 2017.

Chur rediscovered – Switzerland’s oldest city showing signs of change

Wednesday 14 June 2017

Several people on yesterday’s visit by ZIWA's Discovering Zurich and Switzerland group who had also been there with the group in 2009 noticed that the train station has been modernised since then. Outside the station we met our guide Caroline Lampert, who pointed out a modern artwork based on lotus flowers, which was certainly a surprise. And we were pleased that many of the streets around the old city have been pedestrianised, making our walking tour much easier. However, as we left Zurich in sun and arrived in Chur in rain, several ladies dived into the local shops to buy umbrellas.

Chur is Graubunden’s largest city where three languages are spoken – Rhaeto-Romansch, Italian and German. It’s also Switzerland’s oldest city, dating back to the fifteenth Century BC, with Bronze Age and Roman remains having been found here. The location at the junction of the Rhaetian railway with the northern route from the Bodensee to the Gotthard is also significant. We were surprised to learn that the Rhaetische Bahn owes its existence to the efforts in 1888 of a Dutchman, Willem Jan Holsboer, whose wife sought treatment in the Alpine resorts for TB.

Since our last visit, Chur has also gained a new extension to the Bundner Kunstmuseum, an art museum now covering three floors and two adjoining buildings. It contains works by local artist Angelica Kauffmann as well as Swiss artists Alberto Giacometti and Giovanni Segantini. In the Town Hall or Rathaus we saw a model of the city dated 1835. In the 17^th century the old walls came through the central city area along Grabenstrasse, and three towers dating back then are still standing.  Fire ravaged the city in 1492 and the city was gradually rebuilt. The River Plessur runs through Chur into the Rhine, and mills grew up to process local produce.

Chur also has religious significance as a bishopric and seminary; the first bishop, Asinio, took office here in 451, the first north of the Alps. Wine growing is also important to the region as the centre of the Bundner Herrschaft wine region. For several reasons, the city was a focal point for travellers from southern Germany who made it an overnight stop. But Chur was late to accept the presence of motor vehicles and voted 25 years after other cantons to welcome the car instead of horse-drawn vehicles as late as 1925.

After seeing inside the Kunstmuseum and the Rathaus, we made our way through old cobbled streets past St. Martin’s Church with its large clock face, up to the Bishop’s Palace and Cathedral, noting the architectural styles on the way. The cathedral features Romanesque, Gothic and Biedermeier styles, the latter exemplified in the tower which was rebuilt after a fire in 1811. Inside we were impressed by the 15^th century altarpiece triptych, designed by a German artist in 1486-92 and featuring gilded figures. We also noticed that the apse of the cathedral is crooked, although the reason is unclear. The church also contains the remains of a mural dating back to 1340 featuring an unconscious Mary, and a modern organ, praised for its clear sound. The Roman well provided water for travellers within the sanctuary of the building.

Around the city, we noted the tall houses which used pulleys to raise up water supplies, and the streets featuring the names of old families such as the Hegisplatz. After this enlightening tour, we were more than ready to dive into the ‘Drei Bünden’ or Three Guilds restaurant for a pre-arranged lunch and time to chat with new friends. Thanks to Rowena Woollard for another great day out.

Julia Newton, 15 June 2017.