DThe president of the sees the pursuit of fundraising and private sponsorship for cultural events Bregenz Festival, Hans-Peter Metzler, critical. “Getting money by hook or by crook” is a double-edged sword, said Metzler on Wednesday at the opening of the festival. Rather, it is a central task of the democratic state “not only to protect and secure art and culture in their freedom, but also to fundamentally and consciously promote education,” he said.
The Austrian State Secretary Andrea Mayer (Greens) is convinced that art can help to overcome the apparent inevitability. Female figures from this year’s festival productions showed how the deepest emotions can motivate superhuman action. The plays challenged viewers to reflect on themselves. “It is this power that is inherent in art,” said the state secretary responsible for art.
Around 80 events are on the program at the 76th Bregenz Festival until August 21st, for which 220,000 tickets have been issued. Around 90 percent of the tickets were already booked at the start of the festival. Many visitors come from Germany. For the artistic start of the festival, the premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” was planned on the lake stage on Wednesday evening.
