Michael van Orsouw27.02.2024Alberik Zwyssig (1808–1854), the musical monk from Uri who composed the Swiss Psalm, had an unhappy life. And then, after his death, his remains were dug up and reburied during the Second World War.
Andrej Abplanalp26.12.2023In the early 20th century, Karl Schneider and Adolph Rickenbacker turned a conventional string instrument into an electric super device for hard sounds and the big stage.
Rachel Huber21.09.2023Armed with a steely resolve and tape recorder, Hanny Christen from Basel-Landschaft preserved folk music during the 1950s, just as it was in danger of dying out.
Michael van Orsouw11.05.2023César Ritz was not only a pioneering Swiss hotelier, he also established a luxurious way of life that was immortalised in a song. ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ became a global hit after Ritz himself had sadly died following a decades-long battle with depression.
Murielle Schlup19.01.2023French king Louis XIV liked to use dance as a way of projecting his absolute power. A year before his glorious coronation, he embodied the rising sun – dressed as the sun god, Apollo – in the centre of the planetary system.
Beat Kuhn22.08.2022During World War I Gilberte Montavon from Courgenay was a ray of light for Swiss-German soldiers, easing the drudgery of their day-to-day life on the border.
Dominik Landwehr06.05.2020His voice touched millions. Tenor Joseph Schmidt died in 1942 in the Zürcher Oberland, on the final leg of his escape from the Nazi regime. Even today, the Jewish singer’s story is a moving one.
Alexander Rechsteiner18.09.2019200 years ago, homesickness was thought to be a typically Swiss affliction. It was triggered by ‘Kuhreihen’, old herdsmen’s songs. The children’s book character Heidi also suffered from homesickness.
