Montreux music
Rahul Sharma
We seek inspiration throughout our lives, all the time. Not just the artiste, but even the layman needs that extra push to survive in this world. We, as artistes, can become reclusive and go into our shell. We can get away from it all by being lost and submerged in our art. But if you just happen to be in surroundings that are so beautiful, you realise nothing matches the beauty of Mother Nature herself.
This is exactly what I felt recently on my trip to Montreux, a small town in the French-speaking area of Switzerland about two hours from Geneva. Surrounded by lakes and the Alps on the other side, this place is Paradise. Not only a paradise for the tourist, but for the music lover as well. The Montreux Jazz Festival is one of the most prestigious music festivals in the world and it’s here that music greats such as Carlos Santana, Paco de Lucia and others decend every year to perform during summer.
But apart from that, what really interests me is to go up the mountains surrounding Montreux by a small train which takes you up several thousand feet. This is one of the most beautiful routes I have seen. What’s more amazing is that there is only one huge chalet on the top of the mountain where one could stay and it is owned by an Indian. Mr Sunil Chatterjee is responsible for bringing a lot of musicians to Switzerland and is also the proud owner of this beautiful hotel which faces the lake and boasts of unmatched scenery. The only music I heard from the chalet was the music created by the bells of the cows grazing on the high plains. Simply unbelievable!
No wonder that the director and founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival Claude Nob has chosen this place as his permanent residence. It’s not surprising to see Alicia Keys or John Mclaughlin strolling around this area as all of them come to meet Mr Nobs.
Being in a place like this is truly inspiring - to be able to walk in the woods where the only sounds you hear are of the birds and the cowbells ringing with the morning sun, bringing warmth in the cool mountain air. Every once in a while we need to rejuvenate and reinvent ourselves, get away from it all. Having just returned from this trip I realise that being in nature and is like experiencing God. It is like connecting with the Almighty on an altogether different level.