Reach for the skies!

It rarely takes more than 20 minutes by bike to get to the nearest concert venue in Zurich. The journey from the sofa in your living room to a folding seat in the Tonhalle, from your after-work shower to the mist of the ZW: three traffic lights, two zebra crossings – and you’re there. Nevertheless – or perhaps precisely because of this – this article is intended as an invitation to leave your bike behind for once and hop on a train to Graubünden instead. I won’t deny how convenient and wonderful it is that, for us culture-spoilt city kids, art openings and album launch parties are right on our doorstep. But: anticipation takes time to build. And it doubles and triples when the journey to auditory bliss takes not just a few minutes, but a half-day’s journey. Two hours and sixteen minutes plus a 45-minute walk, to be precise. The destination, reached after changing trains in Chur, Ilanz and Morissen: the Bündner Rigi, a mountain inn in the Surselva that’s over 125 years old, which not only serves Kafi Lutz and soup of the day, but also hosts indie and hyper-pop concerts – set against an Alpine panorama that would make even the cheesiest photo wallpaper roll itself up in awe.

“Actually, we just wanted to find some quiet spot in the countryside for the winter where we could work on our EP,” explains co-host Livia when I ask her about the project’s beginnings. The day’s activities have already drawn to a close; the sun is casting its last rays onto the terrace, which during the summer months serves as a living room, dining room and music stage all in one. Since completing her performance studies in London, the Toggenburg native has been touring Europe’s concert stages as Livia Rita alongside multi-instrumentalist Tom McLuckie and a whole troupe of dancers; she is a visual artist, singer and choreographer all in one. The fact that she now also frequently finds herself slipping into the roles of host, booker and barista came rather unexpectedly. For what was intended as a temporary arrangement for just one winter has now stretched into three years. “At first, we thought we’d just serve a bit of coffee through the window. Then we realised that wasn’t enough on its own.” Whilst the locals were mainly driven by curiosity, it was hunger and thirst that drew in the walkers. “So Tom started making soup and baking bread rolls.” Eventually, cheese platters and scones were added, along with homemade cakes and cold drinks. Work on the EP? That had to take a back seat for the time being.

“When it went into extra time, however, we realised that we couldn’t carry on like this, working full-time in the catering business.” Music was, and still is, what Livia is truly passionate about. In fact, that was supposed to be the focus of the mountain project right from the start. So: reset. Take a deep breath. Re-evaluating how to create a place that offers space for both. It was the sheer size of the mountain inn that gave the duo the idea of bringing together cuisine and art – and, above all, the people who create them – up on the mountain. After all, the eleven empty guest rooms need to be put to use. For the past two years, the building has therefore been more than just a mountain inn; it’s a ‘gastronomy-culture symbiosis’. In both summer and winter, artists and cooking enthusiasts stay on the upper floors for days or even weeks at a time. “In the city, space, time and energy are often in short supply. We’ve created a contrast to that, a sort of antidote.”

Where, during the warmer months, one usually hears nothing but the ringing of cowbells and the chirping of crickets, and where, during the colder months, the snow swallows up even the faintest sounds, shimmering guitar chords and delicate vocals catch the ear. On some days, the rustling of the trees is joined by thumping bass from the studio, whilst piano melodies mingle with the songs of chaffinches and Alpine choughs.

It was actually inevitable that the guests would not only make music away in their little rooms, but also carry the music out into the open: ‘Even back then, there was plenty of music-making and dancing here. It was a place where many people fell in love; Catholics and Protestants used to come together up here. Down in the valley, that would have been unthinkable.’ The hotel back then is said to have been one of the first in the region to have a record player. Today, the building is one of the first in Switzerland – perhaps even the only one? – to house a fully equipped music studio at an altitude of 1,618 metres. And this gives musicians the opportunity to tap into new creativity. Livia calls this form of ‘mountain bathing’ – letting go of the hustle and bustle of the city and immersing oneself in a world quite different from most people’s everyday lives – ‘refreshing the spirit’. ‘I think people are in a different frame of mind up here. It does take quite a bit of commitment just to get up the mountain in the first place.’ Away from routines and familiar surroundings, encounters take place between people who would otherwise hardly ever cross paths. Especially when the therapeutic programme gives way to entertainment: Five concerts, each featuring two performances per evening, are on the programme for July and August. Before the sun terrace is transformed into a concert stage, various culinary artists invite guests to a communal dinner – the finale of the week-long Culinary Residency, which is taking place for the first time this summer. Afterwards, the curtain rises on bands from Basel, Winterthur and Zurich, from Amsterdam and Brussels, London and Berlin.

It is precisely these evenings that Livia looks forward to the most. “The concerts are always a real experience for me. And I know: this won’t happen often in my lifetime.” I ask her if there was a favourite moment. The hostess doesn’t have to think for long: “Oh yes, Penelope Trappes!’ Flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder in the distance made the ambient-gothic artist’s performance last year feel more like a sombre scene from a film noir than a concert – for Livia, one of the most memorable experiences to date. Many more are set to follow. As long as people are keen to make the journey and sponsors can be found who have the courage to support the project, things won’t be quiet on Piz Mundaun any time soon. At least not during the summer and winter seasons. In between, the sun, wind and rain, cows, marmots and sparrows are once again the real stars of the show on the mountain.

The following concerts are still scheduled to take place on the Bündner Rigi in summer 2026:

1 August: Jespfur | Rémy Sax
8 August: Meetsysteem | Steve Laurent
14 August: Yakary | 33
22 August: Floating Pfad | FLOCO | window sine

Admission: Donations

Before each concert evening, from 6 pm onwards, there’s the chance to join in a communal dinner
. Register at info@buendnerrigi.com.

Fancy learning about wild herbs or yodelling? As well as music and cuisine, the
Bündner Rigi also offers various workshops for creative exploration.