Schwetzingen Festival

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Schwetzingen Festival, during a concert intermission. Schwetzingen Zirkelbau Festspiele 2002.jpg
Schwetzingen Festival, during a concert intermission.

The Schwetzingen Festival (German: Schwetzinger Festspiele, now Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele) is an early summer festival of opera and other classical music presented each year from May to early June in Schwetzingen, Germany.

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In 1952, the broadcaster Süddeutscher Rundfunk founded the festival in the Schwetzingen area. It is located in a beautiful 250-year-old palace and park, Schwetzingen Castle, near the famous city of Heidelberg. The main venue is the historic Schlosstheater Schwetzingen. Nowadays, the successor organization is the Südwestrundfunk (SWR) and it organises many international concerts and music theatre events every year.

List of major premieres and rediscoveries

One of the festival's characteristics is the world premiere of a new opera, as well as at least one rediscovered opera from former centuries, performed on period instruments.

YearWorld premieresEarly rarities
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013 Georg Friedrich Haas: Thomas Tommaso Traetta: Ifigenia in Tauride
2014 Bernhard Lang: Reigen Johann Adolph Hasse: Leucippo 1747
2015 Hèctor Parra: Wilde Leonardo Vinci: Didone abbandonata , (pasticcio by Handel)
2016 Georg Friedrich Haas: Koma Francesco Cavalli: Veremonda, l’amazzone di aragona 1652
2017 Annette Schlünz: Tre Volti – Drei Blicke auf Liebe und Krieg Nicola Porpora: Mitridate

Concerts

Concerts have featured well-known artists such as Gidon Kremer, Jorge Bolet and Cecilia Bartoli, as well as young artists at the start of their careers. Singers of the caliber of Barbara Hendricks, Fritz Wunderlich and Teresa Berganza have performed at the festival as beginners and have all gone on to major careers.

See also

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References

  1. Klangforum Wien, calendar entry for 27 April 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  2. Festival details Archived 2012-01-08 at the Wayback Machine