Opening of the Grafenegg Festival 2022 – Stadtlandzeitung

“Today, Lower Austria is a cultural country that makes art and culture possible in every corner of the country.”

After the successful start of the outdoor season with the Summer Night Concert in June and the musical warm-up with the Summer Concerts and Gravenig Academy, the Gravenig Festival 2022 opened in Falkenturm yesterday evening.

The evening program included a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Fidelio” as a co-production of Gstaad Menuhin and the Gravenig Festival. Jonas Kaufman was in the lead role as Florestan on stage, embodied by Sinad Campbell and Wallace Leonor. Jaap van Zuyden, conductor of the New York Philharmonic since 2018, has led the famous Swiss Festival Orchestra at Wolkenturm. Peter Simonischek took the role of speaker.

County Governor Joanna Mikl-Leiter: “Today, Lower Austria is a cultural region that makes art and culture possible in every corner of the country. Both regional performances and cultural beacons like the Grafenegg Festival shine beyond national borders. This is thanks to the cooperation and commitment of many people, such as Rudolf Buchbinder , artistic director of the Grafenegg Festival. Today, guests from all over the world witnessed the best performances by Jonas Kaufmann, Sinad Campbell-Wallace, the Gstaad Festival Orchestra and the Brno Philharmonic Choir – artistic monuments we can be proud of in the cultural state of Lower Austria” .

Rudolf Buchbinder, Festival Artistic Director, said: “I am delighted that we have finally been able to catch up with what was already planned for Beethoven 2020: the only Beethoven opera on the Cloud Tower with a dream crew. This great start will now be followed by a slew of other notable events until September 4th – Including concerts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra led by Manfred Honeck and with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

Philip Stein, Managing Director of Grafenegg Kulturbetriebsgesellschaft mbH added: “After the summer concerts and the Grafenegg Academy in July, the opening ceremony of the Grafenegg Festival took place today. Our composer in residence this year is the famous Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas, who will be playing the Second Violin Concerto in Austria for the first time. On the last Sunday of the festival, his “Park Music for Grafenegg” will premiere in the castle park with free admission – played by 160 wind musicians from all over Lower Austria.

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