Musical Sparks

If there’s one name that shines brightly in the summer concert calendar, it’s Martin Engstroem. The founder of the Verbier Festival, he successfully launched the town onto the international stage. Sparks flew more than once as he discovered rising stars in the music world. He has also experienced some fiery moments, both literally and figuratively. One such instance occurred during a concert by pianist Yuja Wang in 2010, when a sudden lightning storm greeted her performance. Alarmed by the thunder and a heavy downpour, the Swedish director had to take drastic action (literally, as he ended up stepping on the pianist’s foot) to interrupt the Chinese virtuoso’s playing. Stopping the fiery passion of Miss Wang proved to be no easy task—after all, even lightning couldn’t manage it.