The time and place is the turn of the last century in Banff, Alberta. The European settlers came to this rough, crass, and largely lawless region nestled in the Rockies in search of wealth, carried here on trains riding the 3000 miles of steel ribbon linking one ocean with another, spanning the continent of North America.

This is the setting for Jens Kruger’s narrative work “Spirit of the Rockies”. The piece begins as an old man reflects on his first arrival in the Canadian Rockies to work as a guide. There he falls in love, with a young woman who mysteriously goes missing. We listen spellbound, in Uwe's rich, resonant, and mellow baritone voice, as he recalls how his brief encounter with her forever changed his perceptions of himself and his place in the world. A defining time in his life, that all these years later he still struggles to fully comprehend. Ultimately, this is a story of discovery about how a new land, and a new perspective, can lead us to find new things in ourselves. 

The music (a seamless mix of Bluegrass, Country, Classic, Pop and Blues) comes from Jens Krüger, the lyrics from his brother Uwe. Bassist Joel Landsberg sits cool on the stage like usual, offering his light-hearted smiles and quick-wit-one-liners. They're accompanied by "The Symphony of the Mountains", a special 15-piece orchestra consisting of professional musicians from Tennessee and North Carolina. The orchestra is led by Cornelia Laemmli Orth, originally from Switzerland, who now lives in the USA.

Twenty years ago the Krüger Brothers moved to the USA. On a regular basis, however, they return to Switzerland. Each time the Krüger Brothers play in the Uri theater, the hall is always full. Today there's ~500 of us fans in the audience. Standing ovations and never-ending applause prevent the trio and the orchestra from getting off the stage. They repeat parts of "Spirit Of The Rockies". 

I too contribute my bit, by trying to sing along their Swiss-German song: "Immer em Härze nah".