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Korthase, KarolinThe art of listeningMusic education has gained importance for festivalscategory: Essay published in: das Orchester 07-08/2009, Page 24 |
Music festivals have become popular in recent years. The article by Richter gives an overview of developments, profiles, pros and cons. As time away from the everyday, festivals offer opportunities for creative experiments, both for musicians and for audiences, to focus on particular genres or composers, to try new venues and formats. In the following interview, Andreas Mölich-Zebhauser, artistic director of Baden-Baden Festival Hall with its four annual festival seasons, speaks of his recipe of success: musical excellence; strong personal ties to private sponsors; and new, surprising, unique combinations of ensembles, conductors and soloists. Two outstanding ensembles associated with the festival business are the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the Bayreuth Festspielorchester. Zivanovic sees their creative genius and their attraction for musicians as well as audiences as the result of various factors: the selection of top musicians, the absence of routine, enthusiasm to excel. Yet in order to thrive, festivals must also succeed financially. The article by Schoos shows how festival structures and budgets vary widely, depending on age, size, profile and strategy. Careful planning is crucial as is, for the majority, public support. In turn, successful festivals are also important for local and regional economies. Music education has become a central concern of many ensembles, and the same applies to a growing number of festivals, which, with their open structures, appear as suitable platforms for educational activities. It is smaller events, such as at Hitzacker, that are leading developments, increasingly broadening participation from children to adult audiences. For audiences, finally, festivals offer a particular atmosphere, making them attractive in a way opera or a concert at home cannot be. The article by Waitz describes this as a mix of music, location and a sense of closeness between the regulars.