THE SOUND OF MUSIC

How one man's vision transformed a small Swiss lakeside town into a global pilgrimage site for music lovers, creating an archive that tells the story of half a century of musical evolution

- Amrita Katara

There's something mystical about standing on the shores of Lake Geneva as dusk settles over the Alps, watching the Montreux Jazz Festival's main stage, which sits over water like some ethereal platform between Earth and sky.

The setting feels almost too perfect to be real—a stage that seemingly floats on the lake, with the dramatic Alpine backdrop creating a natural amphitheatre that no concert hall could ever replicate.

This is where Tatler watches British pop band London Grammar, as vocalist Hannah Reid's voice merges with the gentle lapping of waves below the stage. Later, as Sydney-based alternative dance group Rüfüs du Sol's electronic soundscapes washes over hundreds of strangers united in a collective trance, the music feels less like performance and more like shared meditation, each note echoing off the mountains and returning transformed.

If you're thinking those acts don't fit the jazz genre suggested by the festival's name, Montreux has long been much more than that. Founded in 1967 by Claude Nobs as a celebration of jazz's finest moments, the festival soon expanded its musical horizons, welcoming blues, rock, soul, pop and even electronic sounds. Artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie to Led Zeppelin, Sting and Deep Purple have performed on stages here, embodying Montreux's genre-transcending spirit. The name remains a nod to its jazz origins and the visionary passion that sparked it, but today it stands as a beacon for all music lovers, united by a shared reverence for artistic expression.