“It wasn’t really a festival at first”: Raffael Suter remembers the beginnings of the Molton Festival, which is celebrating its 20th birthday in 2023
Chamber pop and Nashville blues: the Molton Festival will take place from February 23rd to 25th at the Theater am Gleis in Winterthur.
concert For the 20th time, the Molton Festival, which takes place from February 23rd to 25th, offers a platform for acoustic concerts in an intimate setting. In 2003, the St. Gallen musician Oliver Sigg was looking for a performance opportunity for his band in Winterthur. It should be a place where the audience comes only to listen to music. Sigg found what he was looking for in the Theater am Gleis and – since it would have been a pity to only have one concert – together with Raffael Suter they began planning a series of concerts, which they dubbed “Molton”. The name is a reference to the fabric for the stage curtains and the mattress topper, as well as minor tones, “which give a melancholic concert series a nice atmosphere during the winter months,” the organizers write.
Survived despite Netflix
“When we started organizing concerts 20 years ago, it wasn’t really a festival, but a series of concerts that took place over the course of six months,” says Raffael Suter when asked. After a few years, the wish prevailed to condense the concerts in order to create an even more intense concert experience.
Suter says: “When we started, the musical offer in Winterthur still seemed relatively manageable – but this has changed in recent years.” What is even more formative, however, is that streaming offers like Netflix have never made it so attractive to stay at home instead of going out. “Adapting to these developments was not always easy. The fact that Molton is still around after 20 years makes us a little proud.» As before, the organizers would have “a great joy like small children” at each individual concert.
Concerts, drinks, photos
Nola Kin, who processes challenges in her songs, will open the first concert evening. Lambert will then share his new album with the audience. During the pandemic, he reflected on his musical beginnings as a socially isolated teenager, which inspired his album “Open”. Caroline Alves and «To Athena» perform on the second concert evening. Brazilian-born Caroline Alves incorporates a great deal of autobiography into her songs, which deal with themes such as self-doubt and failed relationships. “To Athena” brings chamber pop, melancholy and poetry that hurts to the stage. Julia Heart from Lucerne will close the Molton Festival with her bluesy Nashville sound. Three years ago she won a young talent award from the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation. Also on the last evening, Lea Lu will perform and let the songs of her new album ring out – accompanied by jazz musicians.
And: “Between the concerts, we invite all visitors to toast the anniversary with us,” says Raffael Suter. There will also be a small photo exhibition with impressions from the last 20 years. jul
Additional Information:
Molton Festival, Theater am Gleis
February 23-25
www.molton.ch
