{"id":19659,"date":"2022-10-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=19659"},"modified":"2022-10-06T11:44:24","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T09:44:24","slug":"musical-destination-sun-valley-idaho-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/2022\/10\/04\/musical-destination-sun-valley-idaho-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Musical Destination: Sun Valley Idaho, US"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MUSICAL DESTINATIONS<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Sun Valley, <\/span>Idaho, US<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

This summer Charlotte Smith <\/em>attended Sun Valley\u2019s acclaimed Music Festival, where she discovered a region of unrivalled, rugged beauty <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Music in the mountains:<\/strong> Sun Valley\u2019s outdoor Pavilion and lawn: (below) Alasdair Neale conducts 2022\u2019s Pops Night <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Flying into Friedman Memorial Airport, the gateway to Sun Valley, is a truly dazzling experience. The Bald and Dollar Rockies slowly rise up to dominate the skyline \u2013 and if you\u2019re lucky enough to be touching down during a summer sunset, the pink- and orange-hued sky above the sparsely populated pine covered landscape is a wonder to behold. <\/p>\n\n

Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County, Idaho \u2013 and the name used colloquially for the larger surrounding region, including the neighbouring town of Ketchum and the Wood River Valley area, encompassing Hailey and Bellevue. It is largely famous as a skiing destination during the winter months: the slopes of \u2018Baldy\u2019 and Dollar provide the perfect combination of uninterrupted verticals for expert sportsmen and gentler inclines for beginners, all bathed in brilliant, cloud free sunshine for much of the year. The summer months, too, offer ample activities for outdoor enthusiasts, including hiking, biking, f ly-fishing, golf, horse riding, sport shooting \u2013 and ice skating on an open-air rink kept permanently chilled, even on days of over 40C.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

But it\u2019s not just sport that thrives here \u2013 literature and the arts have long been associated with the region. Hollywood royalty has frequently visited, including the likes of Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe \u2013 while Richard Dreyfuss, Clint Eastwood, Janet Leigh and Batman\u2019s <\/em>Adam West can be counted among its famous residents past and present. And, of course, there\u2019s writer Ernest Hemingway, who bought a house in Ketchum, in which he lived for the final two years of his life (see box out). <\/p>\n\n

For classical music lovers, however, the biggest draw is the Sun Valley Music Festival \u2013 the largest privately funded admission-free classical music festival in the US, boasting Summer and Winter seasons, online broadcasts and a Music Institute catering for local school children and budding professionals with tuitionfree initiatives and masterclasses. <\/p>\n\n

This year\u2019s Summer Season ran from 24 July to 18 August, the first edition since the advent of Covid-19 to make the most of the impressive outdoor Pavilion \u2013 encompassing formal seating under a vast white acoustically-enhanced tent, and relaxed views (via a sound system and screen) for families, picnickers and pets on the expansive green lawn. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Power and intensity:<\/strong> pianist Daniil Trifonov performs Brahms at this year\u2019s festival <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Beethoven\u2019s \u2018Pastoral\u2019 was enhanced by real-life birdcalls and gently rustling leaves <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Key to the Summer experience are interval-less orchestral and chamber concerts of no longer than an hour and a genuinely joyful feeling of community, largely driven by a dedicated and generous group of donors. Comprising an all-star line-up of 100 musicians from leading ensembles across the US, many of whom return every year, the Festival Orchestra has a real sense of cohesion and identity \u2013 further fostered by its conductor Alasdair Neale, who himself is a loyal advocate for the festival, having served as music director for over 25 years. <\/p>\n\n

Neale is understandably proud of the orchestra he has built up. \u2018As well as being one of the top orchestras in the country, I\u2019d like to think it is one of the most visibly happy,\u2019 he tells me. \u2018The players look like they\u2019re having fun and that is a very important part of communication with the people who come to watch our concerts.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Tenor Nicholas Phan, who took part in two performances during this year\u2019s Summer season \u2013 of Britten\u2019s Serenade and Orff\u2019s tub-thumping Carmina <\/em>Burana <\/em>\u2013 observed the same genial character in the audience. \u2018The people who attend these concerts are very enthusiastic,\u2019 he says. \u2018Performing Britten\u2019s Serenade was an interesting experience \u2013 the work has a lot of drama, but it\u2019s an introspective piece at heart, and not presented very frequently. And yet the audience jumped to their feet when we finished. They were drawn to the work\u2019s intimacy, even in this huge tent.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s something I, too, can confirm from attending three Sun Valley concerts during my stay \u2013 the aforementioned Carmina Burana, <\/em>featuring baritone Hugh Russell and soprano Meechot Marrero, which has to rank as the most entertaining and downright funny performance of the work I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing; a delightful Beethoven \u2018Pastoral\u2019, enhanced by the real-life sounds of birdcalls and gently rustling leaves that only an outdoor stage can provide; and an intense and brilliant performance of Brahms\u2019s First Piano Concerto by Daniil Trifonov. <\/p>\n\n

Mountains, music and merrymaking \u2013 it\u2019s easy to understand why artists and audiences alike consider Sun Valley an essential fixture of the annual calendar. <\/p>\n\n

Further info: www.svmusicfestival.org<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n
\"\"
Call of the wild:<\/strong> writer Hemingway in his Ketchum house in 1959 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Final resting place <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ernest Hemingway <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1959 writer Ernest Hemingway bought a house in Ketchum verging on the Big Wood River. Plagued by health issues and unable to return to Cuba, he took solace in this remote region \u2013 his final residence, as in 1961 he took his own life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since becoming custodian of Hemingway House in 2017, Ketchum Community Library has overseen its restoration. It is now preserved as a non-profit residential space for writers and houses vital artefacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hemingway himself is buried in Ketchum cemetery and a memorial inscribed with words he wrote for a friend stands just north of Sun Valley: \u2018And above the hills, the high blue windless skies\u2026 Now he will be a part of them forever.\u2019 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

GETTY, CAROLINE WOODHAM, NILS RIBI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MUSICAL DESTINATIONS Sun Valley, Idaho, US This summer Charlotte Smith attended Sun Valley\u2019s acclaimed Music Festival, where she discovered a region of unrivalled, rugged beauty Flying into Friedman Memorial Airport, the gateway to Sun Valley, is a truly dazzling experience. The Bald and Dollar Rockies slowly rise up to dominate the skyline \u2013 and if […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"72","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"72","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_72-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_72-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"November-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"November-2022","purple_external_id":"November-2022-72-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"November-2022-72-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000086188||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000086188||","purple_android_product":"com.im.bbcmusic.380","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.bbcmusic.380","purple_ios_product":"com.im.bbcmusic.380","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.bbcmusic.380","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"5b9287a1-9911-4f59-a9d7-30a805560f3d","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-10-06T09:44:30Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"f93ee14a-6a19-4547-9e7b-45a51e67d978","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-10-06T09:44:30Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A-T7hSmoZRUeee0WlHmfZeA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[90],"tags":[13],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/f416b71a-f44b-420a-a3d4-3201d90f64be-e1664472588285.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/f416b71a-f44b-420a-a3d4-3201d90f64be-e1664472588285.jpg",1402,942,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/f416b71a-f44b-420a-a3d4-3201d90f64be-e1664472588285-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/f416b71a-f44b-420a-a3d4-3201d90f64be-e1664472588285-300x202.jpg",300,202,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/f416b71a-f44b-420a-a3d4-3201d90f64be-e1664472588285-768x516.jpg",768,516,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/f416b71a-f44b-420a-a3d4-3201d90f64be-e1664472588285-1024x688.jpg",800,538,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/f416b71a-f44b-420a-a3d4-3201d90f64be-1536x949.jpg",1536,949,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/f416b71a-f44b-420a-a3d4-3201d90f64be-e1664472588285.jpg",1402,942,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"MUSICAL DESTINATIONS Sun Valley, Idaho, US This summer Charlotte Smith attended Sun Valley\u2019s acclaimed Music Festival, where she discovered a region of unrivalled, rugged beauty Flying into Friedman Memorial Airport, the gateway to Sun Valley, is a truly dazzling experience. The Bald and Dollar Rockies slowly rise up to dominate the skyline \u2013 and if…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19659"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19659"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20342,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19659\/revisions\/20342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}