With the premiere of the opera “Ernani” by Giuseppe Verdi, this year’s Bregenz Festival is starting its 77th season. Austria’s Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen is also on the guest list for the opening ceremony in the Festspielhaus this Wednesday (July 19).
The opera, full of beautiful melodies and large choral scenes, is about love and revenge. Verdi’s (1813-1901) characters prepare hell on earth for themselves out of a completely twisted concept of honor. “It’s an allegory of the world that creates its own constraints,” explained director Elisabeth Sobotka.
This Thursday, the piece “Madame Butterfly”, already known from the 2022 season, celebrates its revival premiere on the lake stage. The opera by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) is performed 26 times by the lake.
Monumental stage design
An oversized paper image serves as the backdrop for the piece about the Japanese geisha Cio-Cio-San on the 23 meter high and 33 meter wide lake stage. The festival will offer a total of 80 events from July 19 to August 20. Those responsible were satisfied with the ticket sales.
The Bregenz Festival is known worldwide for its monumental stage sets. In 2008, the ambience was also used during filming for the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace”. The main pieces of the festival are always played for two years.
In the summer of 2024, Carl Maria von Weber’s “Der Freischütz” is to be performed on the floating stage. “Tancredi” is to be shown for the first time as an opera in the Festspielhaus.
