Darmstadt Residence Festival
The Darmstadt Residence Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Darmstadt in July and August . They were founded in 2001 by Wolfgang Seeliger and initially organized by the Darmstadt Concert Choir , now by the independent Darmstädter Residenzfestspiele eV association. The Residence Festival takes place in historical venues in the former residence city of Darmstadt and is therefore part of Darmstadt's culture. Some of the events take place in the open air. Furthermore, the Residenz Festival is characterized by a varied, cross-genre musical program.
2001
The motto of the first Darmstadt Residence Festival from July 27 to August 12, 2001 was Serenata 2001 and followed the tradition of historical serenade concerts at princely residences, as it once was in Darmstadt. Although Darmstadt was badly damaged in World War II, it has a number of beautiful architectural ensembles, some of which already served as a setting for court celebrations in the Baroque period. The aim of the festival was to awaken these places to new cultural life and bring them closer to the visitors. The venues for the first year were the castle courtyard, the courtyard of the college building, the Mathildenhöhe and the Woog . The spectrum of the eleven events ranged from children's theater to music cabaret and gospel to Wagner . The highlights were Orff's Carmina Burana in the courtyard and Handel's Water Music , each with over 1,000 spectators.
2002
The second Residence Festival under the name of Midsummer Night's Dreams 2002 was significantly expanded both in terms of time and space. By taking over the patronage from Lord Mayor Peter Benz, the city of Darmstadt also signaled its recognition and support. For the events, which took place from July 19 to August 25, the foyer of the district court , the ruins of the city chapel, the Rosenhöhe , the orangery and the Prinz-Georg-Garten were discovered as new venues. The opening ceremony with a Beethoven gala, accompanied by greetings from the Hessian Minister for Science and Art, Ruth Wagner , was followed by six festival weekends, which ranged between medieval and new music, between readings, dance and large orchestral works. Particularly noteworthy are the performance of Haydn's “ The Creation ”, with which the Darmstadt Concert Choir under the direction of Wolfgang Seeliger celebrated its 25th anniversary, as well as the performance of Purcell's opera “Dido and Aeneas” on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the Bessungen district Baroque garden of the orangery.
2003
Since the expansion of the Residenzfestspiele was well received by the public, the third round with 23 events between July 12th and August 24th took place in 2003 under the motto As You Like It . The highlight was the concert with Sir Elton John in the stadium at Böllenfalltor , which attracted 16,000 spectators. But the other concerts also brought new attendance records. New venues this year were the Rodensteiner Hof in the Hessian State Museum and the Bessunger Jagdhof. The program moved between many chairs in an almost established tradition: theater alternated with opera and concert, solo concerts or small ensembles with a full line-up of orchestras, soloists and choir or dancers. Tried and tested music alternated with new, old with new music; in addition to classics, seldom played pieces were also heard.
2004
Under the motto Lichtklänge there were a large number of events in 2004 that were increasingly international in character. The palette ranged from medieval chants to Beethoven to jazz, Irish folk and Indian temple dance. Big names like the American jazz singer Joan Faulkner , the Clemencic Consort Vienna, the famous ballet ensemble from Wisconsin, the American partner state of Hesse, as well as ensembles from Korea, China and the Philippines were guests in Darmstadt this year. The Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino from Italy was able to be won over as “Orchestra in Residence”. The performance “Amadeus” was an example of the constant endeavor to merge different genres of art and forms of expression. In a joint production between the Frankfurt Dramatic Stage , the Darmstadt Concert Choir and the Darmstädter Hofkapelle, the stage play by Peter Shaffer and Mozart's music were brought together in a symbiosis of theater play and concert and made tangible as a unit.
2005
The 2005 Residenz Festival had the motto Fascination and the patronage of the newly elected Lord Mayor Walter Hoffmann . Singer and entertainer Deborah Sasson opened the festival with opera and musical highlights, and the internationally acclaimed tenor Kammersänger Peter Schreier continued with a recital with Franz Schubert's “Die Schöne Müllerin” and with the “ Johannespassion ” by Johann Sebastian Bach , in which he sang at the same time and conducted, a brilliant ending. It was not only the first time that the internationally sought-after singer appeared in Darmstadt, he also sang his very last St. John Passion in Germany at the Residenz Festival before ending his singing career at the end of 2005. Also there in 2005 were Bill Ramsey & En Haufe Leit, the clarinet magician Giora Feidman and the wind quintet of the Staatskapelle Dresden.
2006
One of the highlights of the 2006 Residenz Festival under the motto Magic Worlds was the first rerun of the opera “Tanhäuser” by Darmstadt composer CA Mangold in 160 years. Other well-known artists were u. a. Rüdiger Oppermann , Knut Kiesewetter , Madeline Bell with the Landesjugendjazzorchester Hessen and the Glenn Miller Orchestra under Wil Salden . The Hofgut Oberfeld , the Rosarium on the Rosenhöhe and the City Carree could be used as a venue .
2007
The motto of the 2007 Residence Festival was Impressions - the extraordinary in unusual places , which was probably most fulfilled by the two concerts with guitar impressions and a program for string orchestra in the former cowshed on the Oberfeld estate. Other highlights were the operetta gala for the 125th anniversary of Emmerich Kálmán's birth year and the Italian Opera Night on Mathildenhöhe. The audience was also more than extraordinary: At the Klazz Brothers concert, which literally fell into the water , the artists let themselves be infected by the good atmosphere and continued to play despite continuous pouring, so that the audience danced enthusiastically in the rain in front of the stage!
2008
The 2008 Residenz Festival under the motto Notturno - Nachtstück began with Mozart's "Acting Director" and star guest Helmut Lohner . For the first time, a silent film was presented with “ Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror ”, accompanied by Stephan von Bothmer and the Darmstadt Concert Choir. The Italian Opera Night on Mathildenhöhe with works by the jubilee Giacomo Puccini was the highlight of the Residenz Festival. The children's concert “ Peter and the Wolf ” and “ Carnival of the Animals ” were organized for the first time as a double afternoon, also to have performances for the young audience. Further highlights were the Indonesian ensemble “Elfa's Jazz & Pop Singers” in the regional council and two world premieres by Anno Schreier and Deqing Wen under the direction of Karajan's student Tang Muhai .
2009
Great hours was the motto of the Darmstadt Residence Festival in 2009. This was particularly true of the great musical and opera gala with Deborah Sasson, Eva Lind and Robert Schwarts at Mathildenhöhe - and the two baroque concerts. In the courtyard of the college building, the Israeli countertenor Doron Schleifer, accompanied by the basel baroque consort, performed baroque love songs and arias from Italy; In the former cowshed of the Oberfeld estate, the Bell'Arte Salzburg ensemble offered a 'Florilegium Musicum', in which rare instruments such as the baroque harp and chalumeau could be heard. The opening event was Murnau's Faust silent film with new music by Carsten-Stephan Graf von Bothmer . From July 24th to August 9th, the Mathildenhöhe, Hofgut Oberfeld and the Kollegiengebäude were the venues of the ninth Residence Festival.
2010
For the tenth anniversary of the Darmstadt Residence Festival, the motto was Jubilate! instead of. In addition to the opening concert 'Mozartkugeln' at the Mannheim Music Stage, events by the Leipzig Wind Quintet and Hugo Strasser were also part of the program. The a cappella formation “ vocaldente ” carried the audience away with a mixture of classics and recent songs. Over 900 spectators took the opportunity to experience Carl Maria von Weber's romantic opera “ Der Freischütz ” in an Opera Classica production in front of the picturesque backdrop of the Kranichstein hunting lodge . Performance venues in the anniversary year were the Oberfeld estate, the college building, the Kranichstein hunting lodge, the Darmstadt orangery and the Mathildenhöhe.
2011
The eleventh Darmstadt Residence Festival had the motto Visions and took place from July 28th to August 7th. The festival was mainly dedicated to the great pianist, composer and musical visionary Franz Liszt , who celebrated a double anniversary in 2011. In addition to the performance of his monumental oratorio “The Legend of Saint Elizabeth”, music by this colorful personality was on the program at many concerts. The festival began jazzy with the Barrelhouse Jazzband and their star guest from the USA, Harriet Lewis - and they ended with a lively touch with Andrej Hermlin and his world-famous “Swing Dance Orchestra!”. In between was the appearance of the Austrian actor, virtuoso and chansonnier Michael Heltau with his personal favorite chansons. In addition to all of this, there were also tried and tested classics from the Residenz Festival, such as the Italian Opera Night on Mathildenhöhe and the children's concert, which also took place on the city crown.
2012
The motto of the 12th Darmstadt Residence Festival was sound spaces . They took place from July 28th to August 12th. With a total of 13 concerts at three different venues, the audience was presented with a wide range of musical possibilities. The main venue this year was the city center with the college building on Luisenplatz, whose atmospheric inner courtyard was the venue for six events. The opening concert with boogie-woogie legend Axel Zwingenberger and Souldiva Lila Ammons took place here. In addition, the Tutti Soli ensemble from Bulgaria performed in historical costumes and performed an Italian baroque program with song, music and dance, as well as the Pera-Ensemble (Turkey / Germany) and Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli (soprano), who performed "Baroque Oriental" brought a successful production to Darmstadt. There were also tried and tested classics again, such as the Italian Opera Night on the colorfully illuminated Mathildenhöhe.
2013
The 13th Darmstadt Residence Festival took place from July 26th to August 11th, 2013 under the motto Love, Death & Heroes . Five different venues were used with 14 concerts and performances and attracted over 5400 visitors. The opening concert in the regional council was played by the Klazz Brothers and Maria Markesini with the “Cinema Passionata” program. On Saturday, August 3rd, Giora Feidman and Ben Becker were guests at the Mathildenhöhe with their program "Zweistimmig". A very special event this year was the most successful opera night of all time with over 1,200 visitors, to which Giuseppe Verdi was honored with the most popular opera melodies from “ La forza del destino ” and “ Aida ” on the occasion of his 200th birthday. The crowning glory of the 13th Darmstadt Residence Festival was the two epic choral works “ Carmina Burana ” and “Orbe Rotundo”. The German premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki's “De natura sonoris no. 2” also made the evening a special experience.
2014
A varied program was again offered at the 14th Darmstadt Residence Festival from July 25th to August 10th 2014 under the motto Klangspuren . The symphony concert “The Sound of the Golden Age” as part of the exhibition “The Sting of the Scorpion” at Mathildenhöhe opened this year's Darmstadt Residence Festival season on Friday, July 25, 2014. The most successful and popular jazz musician in the country, Till Brönner (trumpet), presented on July 26th. with his quintet a special program for the audience on the Mathildenhöhe. On Thursday, July 31, the well-known flautist Dorothee Oberlinger and Axel Wolf (lute / theorbo) performed with their program “Una Festa Barocca”. In addition to the traditional Italian Opera Night on Sunday, July 27th, other program highlights were “ The Double Bass ” with Bassiona Amorosa and Peter Bause (Sunday, August 3rd) and the opening concert of this year's International Summer Courses for New Music.
2015
The 15th Darmstadt Residence Festival took place under the motto European Concert - 200 Years of the Congress of Vienna from July 24th to August 9th, 2015. The Darmstädter Hofkapelle and the Darmstadt Concert Choir decided, under the direction of Wolfgang Seeliger, the 15th Darmstadt Residence Festival on August 9th with the final concert in the inner courtyard of the hunting lodge under the title “A new Europe is standing!”. The program included Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's “ Overture 1812 ”, Beethoven's congress cantata “ The Glorious Moment ” and the final movement of the 9th Symphony . A varied program was offered to the visitors. "A new Europe is in place!" Was celebrated at the end of the Vienna Congress of 1814/1815. Based on this special major event, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, the performing artists dealt intensively with the motto and created new musical interactions.