Alpine festival swells into Asia's crescendo

Verbier lands in China, where global artists perform boldly, guide young players, and draw new audiences into a living classical music tradition

There were gentle gasps inside the valley-shaped concert hall when Mischa Maisky quietly took his seat among the audience. With his iconic long hair and Indian necklaces, the world-renowned cellist became just another audience member, waiting for five classical stars to perform Schumann's Piano Quintet in E-flat Major.

"We're all musicians who try to communicate through music, a unique and universal language," said the artist at the first Asian edition of the Verbier Festival, which concluded in Shenzhen on Feb 8.