"The longest journey begins with the first step". Lukas Bärfuss and Gwendolyn Masin perform excerpts from "The Journey" in this participatory pre-premiere event.

“The Journey” is a production that provides commentary on social justice and adds context to the value not just of human life but of human creativity and expression.

Inspired by the stories of passengers, travellers, wanderers, and boundary-breakers, “The Journey” follows both a narrative and musical map that touches on regions from Odessa, Istanbul, the Black Sea, Bucharest, Albania, Macedonia, Sarajevo, through Switzerland, culminating in Budapest.
Embodying the role of a newsreader, Lukas Bärfuss tells his stories of people making a break for freedom, interwoven with specially arranged works by Gwendolyn Masin. There are commissioned pieces from composers chosen for their affinity with contemporary interpretations of folk-music, such as Antoine Auberson (born in Lausanne) and Daniel Schnyder (born in Zurich). Their works will receive world premiere performances during the tour. Part of the production’s objective is to lower the threshold on cultural appreciation by including a large variety of art forms, from classical to world music, and theater to non-fiction. Driven by the germ of music passed on through generations, the choice of music is partially based on the idea of performing pieces that have stem from communities that are illiterate.

For both Lukas Bärfuss and Gwendolyn Masin, “The Journey” is one of the most challenging, as well as rewarding pieces they have ever worked on, both in consideration of length of preparation and research, as well as the intensity of exchange of ideas, plotting, planning and compiling the contents.