History

Before the beginning, there was the opening of large double doors. The man who opened them, a doctor, made a sweeping gesture into the room that came into view and asked, turning back: “Is this roughly what you had in mind? Would this meet your expectations?”

The patient the question was meant for was an orchestral musician. He had just been describing the plight of many musicians who, although trained as soloists, have no chance to perform as chamber musicians for lack of available venues. When he saw the room – and discovered a grand piano in it as well – that, in 1991, was the beginning of Kammermusik Freigut.

The concert series was simply named after the street where the spacious practice and flat were located, between the city centre and Zurich’s Enge district. The chamber music evenings, open to the public, clearly met a need – and soon became an institution. From then on, concerts took place every month. Well-known artists alternated with musicians at the beginning of their careers. The arts pages took notice, too.

After a move, the concerts now take place at the foot of the Zürichberg. And a second grand piano has joined the first.