HOMMAGE À MAX PFÄNDER DU TRAIT AU BRONZE

Vilém Vlček – cello
Mischa Vasylyev – video projection

Programme:
Antonii · Penderecki · Bach · Demenga

Aperitif

Sculpting sound, shaping gesture
The Historical Museum of La Neuveville pays tribute to one of its emblematic artists, Swiss sculptor Max Pfänder – a major figure of the local and Bernese cultural heritage. In partnership with the museum, our festival opens with a unique encounter between visual art and music, placing dance at the heart of this edition.

To launch the festival, cellist Vilém Vlček engages in a dialogue with the works of Max Pfänder in an immersive performance where sound and image resonate with one another. A video projection accompanies the exhibition, creating a space where movement is frozen in light and music sculpts the moment.

A suspended moment, between matter and vibration, to inaugurate this celebration of gesture and artistic expression.

Max Pfänder
Max Pfänder was born in 1900 in Reichenbach (Saxony, Germany). His talent for drawing and sculpture emerged early. At the age of ten, he settled in St. Gallen, where he trained as a marble sculptor, focusing on ornamental grave markers and commemorative monuments.

In 1939, he married Hélène Riedener and moved to La Combe, near La Neuveville. Inspired by both Maillol and Rodin, Pfänder developed his own style — a balance between classical harmony and modern expressiveness.

His talent earned him numerous commissions for busts of notable figures and public sculptures across several Swiss cities, where his works continue to shape the artistic landscape today.

In collaboration with:
Rahn Kulturfonds
Museum of Art and History, La Neuveville