Time: 18:30, Oct. 9, 2015; 17:00, Oct. 11, 2015

“Every year the cultural summer in Tyrol begins with the Tyrol Festival Erl. And this is also its culmination.” These were the words of Tyrol’s governor Günther Platter in his opening speech for the summer season 2013, and there can hardly be a more apt description of what Gustav Kuhn has achieved in the seventeen year history of the Tyrol Festival Erl.

Founded in 1997 in a village more renowned for its cows than for double basses, the Tyrol Festival Erl has taken place since 1998 every year in July in the Passionsspielhaus or in the years when the Passion Plays are performed in alternative locations in the region. Besides the highly acclaimed and internationally recognized artistic achievements, this necessity of finding an alternative venue was one of the decisive reasons for Hans Peter Haselsteiner, now president of the Tyrol Festival Erl, to implement the plan - devised together with Gustav Kuhn - to build a new festival hall and also to provide most of the funding. This has now been complemented by a car park building which offers extensive parking facilities and is also impressive architecture.

For Gustav Kuhn, who is the overall artistic director of his festival, this was providence. Since the opening of the new Festspielhaus in December 2012, he has been able to work in winter too on the artistic refinement of his idea of staging opera evolved from the music with the orchestra and artists of the singing academy Accademia di Montegral - both founded and directed by him - and of course on improving the general artistic quality.

He has done this with great success: the Tyrol Festival Erl has developed to become an economically viable and artistically renowned fixture in cultural life not only in Tyrol but also in the international calendar.

Founder and Artistic Director: Gustav Kuhn

Born in Turrach in Styria, Gustav Kuhn studied conducting with Hans Swarowsky, Bruno Maderna and Herbert von Karajan at the conservatories in Vienna and Salzburg, and graduated from Salzburg University in philosophy, psychology and psychopathology. Kuhn was only 24 years old when he won the prestigious international conducting competition of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF).

After making his debut as an opera director with his staging of The Flying Dutchman in Trieste, he developed the “Hall Opera” series for Suntory Hall Opera in Tokyo in 1993. Kuhn conducted at the Salzburg Festival until 1997. From 1983 to 1985, Kuhn served as general music director at the Bonn Opera, which was followed by engagements as principal conductor of the Teatro dell’ Opera in Rome and later as artistic director of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. Kuhn headed the music festival in Macerata from 1990 to 1994; from 1994 he served as artistic director of the Filarmonica Marchigiana, Ancona (1997-2002). Gustav Kuhn was the artistic director of the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento from January 2003 until December 2012. In October 2013 Gustav Kuhn conducted two performances of Wagner’s Parsifal in Peking. This was a very special occasion because Wagner’s opera had never been performed before in China.

The programs include the Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, the Tristan und Isolde and the Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Add: Beijing Poly Theatre, No. 14, Dongzhimen South St., Dongcheng District, Beijing (北京市东城区东直门南大街14号)

Source: wupromotiom.com