The stage design conceived for all operas comes from Kaspar Glarner, who studied his craft in Paris and has been internationally in demand ever since. Erik Nielsen, Chief Conductor of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, is the musical director, who will already be known to you through his conducting of the opening concert with first-class music worthy of the occasion by Johannes Brahms and Alexander Scriabin.

"Lohengrin" is on the program, with a parade of internationally successful vocal soloists and promising young singers who are making their debuts in their roles. The musical direction is taken over by Titus Engel, a conductor whose path is already paving the way to the important theaters of Europe and with his innovative interpretation of the score guarantees a new way of listening. Our director Katharina Thoma enjoyed her development primarily at the Frankfurt Opera before being allowed to work in Glyndebourne, London (ROH) and other important houses. Her lively manner will infect all participants and simply "create desire". That we were able to win Johannes Leiacker, one of the leading stage designers, and Stefan Bolliger, a lighting designer who has worked worldwide, including at the Salzburg Festival, speaks for the new attractiveness of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl.

In the Festspielhaus, the "Königskinder" of the Wagnerian Engelbert Humperdinck. In my eyes the masterpiece of the composer, who is primarily familiar to us with "Hänsel und Gretel". But here it is quite a tragic opera with deeply touching music and an ending that describes the utopia of a better world: The minstrel takes the children by the hand and goes towards a better future. So can the children fix it where we adults have obviously failed or are failing? Karsten Januschke, who has made a name for himself as a great talent of the younger generation of conductors within a few years, stands at the conductor's podium. His Erl debut is given by director Matthew Wild, long-time Artistic Director of the Cape Town Opera (Cape Town). With Herbert Murauer he has a very experienced stage designer by his side, we know him from numerous productions with Christof Loy. In the closing concert there is Brahms (Song of the Fates) and Mahler (Song of the Earth). Thomas Guggeis takes over the musical direction here and the internationally known Paula Murrihy as well as AJ Glueckert (our Lohengrin) shine in the solo parts. Guggeis' last-minute substitution for Christoph von Dohnányi in March 2018 in the new production of "Salome" at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden caused an international sensation.

We also celebrate Beethoven in the year after the 250th birthday: The Camerata Salzburg offers all Beethoven piano concertos in three interestingly designed concerts (soloist the genuine Paul Lewis, at the podium Andrew Manze). The Camerata should accompany us regularly in the future. The Klangforum Wien is involved, the famous pedagogue Edith Wiens presents four excellent vocal interpreters from her International Mastersinger Academy in Neustadt/Oberpfalz, Helmut Deutsch accompanies three interesting song artists. There is first-class jazz in Erl with Christian Muthspiel and Orjazztra Vienna, the Amici Ensemble will, as at Christmas 2019, delight with concert and reading – through the Tatort commissioner Udo Wachtveitl –, Franui will of course be there, Mariko Hara-Haselsteiner offers two string sextets and a quartet with excellent musician colleagues, and finally there is also a soulful Russian choral concert again. And: Neil Shicoff, whose skill has earned him the admiration of a worldwide audience, can be seen and heard with his master class.

Surely I have forgotten some things. Study our little book and come: we need you, your enthusiasm, your loyalty. We, these are the not so many, but with all the more heart blood for the festival burning employees. A highly motivated orchestra, an equally motivated choir, a noiseless technology: All visible and invisible spirits await you...

Of course, this is the opportunity to thank our supporters at the federal and state level, also Hans Peter Haselsteiner, who with the creation of a production hall guarantees significantly improved processes.

I am sure that with these summer festivals in Erl, the Tiroler Festspiele will underpin their significance for an international festival calendar, more with the wings of music and singing and interesting directorial approaches than with earthly heaviness.

Yours, Bernd Loebe

Artistic Director and Managing Director