2023-07-07 07:36:44
The opening of the 25th Tyrolean Festival Erl by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen took place between joy and sorrow on Thursday evening. While the keynote speakers dealt with the Ukraine war, the defense of democracy and the climate crisis on the one hand, the joy of the musical performances was palpable on the other. The festival orchestra supported this impressively by creating moods between darkness and triumph.
Festival President Hans Peter Haselsteiner promptly addressed the problems of our time in his opening speech, following the musicians had performed the traditional “timpani and trumpets”. According to the industrialist, our society “will be burdened with three failures in the future.” First, we would not have stopped “committing outrages once morest the environment”. Secondly, autocrats are still of the opinion that “war and terror” is a good solution. Third, there is a lack of recognition that democracy is an “achievement” that needs to be defended on a daily basis.
Because he also sees developments in this country “in very small steps” in the direction of an illiberal democracy. Haselsteiner “does not want paternalism, especially not from the notorious strong man”. He was also “glad” not to have to open the Salzburg Festival – probably in reference to the ÖVP-FPÖ government that recently ruled there. The former politician of the Liberal Forum and former member of the National Council thanked the Tyrolean governor Anton Mattle (ÖVP) who was present for “sparing us that”. Mattle has ruled in Tyrol with the SPÖ since last autumn.
Haselsteiner also thanked founder and former Artistic Director Gustav Kuhn. Kuhn resigned a few years ago following allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power. The cause had no criminal consequences. “For some he’s ‘The Madman of Erl’, for others the ‘King of Erl’,” says the Festival President. For Haselsteiner he is a “complex artistic personality”, but for his work in Erl he deserves “our thanks”. The audience acknowledged Haselsteiner’s statements with applause. Kuhn himself was not present.
Federal President Van der Bellen recalled the opening of the festival a year earlier, when people were “stunned” by Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The war has meanwhile become “everyday life” and people have gotten used to it. Like Haselsteiner, the head of state spoke regarding the “climate emergency”, even if the audience may have had enough of it. “But try going up the left-hand Flughorn in Galtür. But that doesn’t exist anymore.” He therefore finds it “all the more strange” that too little is still being done internationally to reduce emissions. However, Van der Bellen concluded hopefully, saying that the “chances of doing something are still intact”. Maybe the lifestyle has to change a bit, but “we can do it,” he was convinced.
Governor Mattle was delighted with the symbiosis between “town and country” that was being established in Erl. Art transcends borders and generations. He praised the “many cultural initiatives in Tyrol” and that culture creates “meeting spaces”.
Musically, the festival orchestra in various formations offered outstanding pieces and pieces that addressed moods between darkness and triumph. In addition to the prelude from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Nabucco”, a piece by Sir Edward Elgar for string orchestra and string quartet was played. In Erl-style, Siegfried’s death from the “Götterdämmerung” was the best performance of Wagner. Reinhold Glière’s “The Zaporozhy Cossacks” provided a musical journey to the East and Anton Bruckner’s “Te Deum” provided a brilliant conclusion. Finally, the orchestra, choir and soloists released the audience into the summer night with Verdi’s “Va pensiero, sull’ali dorate”.
This year’s summer festival will be all regarding Richard Wagner. The operas “Siegfried” and “Götterdämmerung” are on the program, with Brigitte Fassbaender, the former director of the Tyrolean state theater, directing them. In addition, Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Königskinder” will be shown and an anniversary concert with Oskar Hillebrandt will be performed. The Vienna Boys’ Choir and the Musicbanda Franui will also be guests. Recently there had been news from Erl indes regarding the artistic direction: The current director Bernd Loebe will accompany the festival until the summer festival in 2024, following which star tenor Jonas Kaufmann will take over the directorship.
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