Today the program for the second half of the year was presented at the Festspielhaus Erl. The focus was on the Winter Festival, which will run from December 26 to January 8, 2023. On Boxing Day 2012, the new Festspielhaus was ceremoniously opened with "Nabucco". This year, magnificent baroque sounds will determine the concert on Boxing Day. Works that have undeservedly fallen into oblivion have now become a permanent part of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl. This winter, the choice fell on Mercadante's rarely performed opera jewel "Francesca da Rimini": A dramatic work about a forced marriage with bitter consequences, which goes back to a historical event in the 13th century and which Dante takes up in his "Divine Comedy". Alongside this stands Donizetti's extremely popular opera buffa "Don Pasquale", which became a huge success immediately after its premiere. We let the last evening of the year end pleasantly with melodies from Millöcker operettas. An unhappy nation creates great artists, says a French proverb – we leave the "unhappy" undecided, but we want to present the quality on New Year's Day with a selection of excellent French composers. The closing concert on January 8 will be Russian, because we distinguish between culture and politics, which should have nothing to do with each other. And so one can look forward to great compositions by Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninoff. Our East Tyrolean friends, the Musicbanda Franui, are not missing this winter either, and the Amici Ensemble deals with "Casanova's Return" in an already proven reading by Udo Wachtveitl. In addition, two traditions are maintained: The performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio on December 11 as a prelude to the Winter Festival as well as the program for children and families: On January 2, two pillow concerts for the little ones take place, and the whole family can enjoy a chamber music performance of "Die Fledermaus" in an afternoon performance.
Erik Nielsen, who is at home on international stages and has already won the favor of the Erl audience with several conducting engagements, was also introduced as Chief Conductor.
Thanksgiving from September 29 to October 2 offers works by César Franck, Gustav Mahler, Sergei Prokofiev, Gabriel Fauré and Richard Strauss and ends with the family concert "Adventure Orchestra", based on Benjamin Britten's classic of orchestral literature, "The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra".
From August 11-14, there will be virtuoso guitar sounds again in the Festspielhaus. "La Guitarra Erl" is taking place for the 4th time already. This year the days are under the motto THE POWER WO:MEN, and Julia Malischnig presents, as always, the best of her field on stage.
On November 5, we can look forward to a world premiere: The Klangforum Wien offers with AMOPERA a piece of opera history from 110 years, a journey through time through the new in music and opera, thematically newly set each time, waiting to inspire the audience.