Interim balance sheet

Bregenz Festival could celebrate a record year

Commercial Director Michael Diem, Festival President Hans-Peter Metzler and outgoing Artistic Director Elisabeth Sobotka.

(Bild: Bregenzer Festspiele / Lisa Mathis)

The Bregenz Festival (Vorarlberg) ends this year's season on Sunday - the last with Artistic Director Elisabeth Sobotka. On Friday, those responsible drew a first interim balance. 

On Friday, three days before the end of the current and last season of Artistic Director Elisabeth Sobotka, the Bregenz Festival gave an extremely satisfied preliminary assessment. By Sunday, around 273,500 guests will have visited the festival. If there is no more rain on the lake, that would be a record. Festival President Hans-Peter Metzler had high praise for the outgoing artistic director. In future, Lilli Paasikivi from Finland will be the artistic director of the festival.

"Summer fairy tale"
Commercial Director Michael Diem spoke of a "summer fairytale" in view of the 2024 figures. If there are no more rain cancellations by Sunday evening - "Der Freischütz" is still on the program three more times - 198,655 guests will have seen the "Spiel auf dem See" in 28 performances (including dress rehearsal and Young People's Night). This means that capacity utilization is one hundred percent. With 270,000 visitors, "Carmen" 2018 has been the most successful season to date. "If everything stays like this", a new record could be set this year.

The "Freischütz" offered winter in summer.

(Bild: APA/DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK / APA / picturedesk.com)

Extremely successful program
The other productions of the Seeoper were no less successful: Diem considered it a "sensation" that the house opera "Tancredi" achieved a 99 percent occupancy rate. With the exception of the contemporary pieces "Impossible Connection" and "Hold Your Breath" (together 78 percent), all productions were attended by over 90 percent of the audience. Accordingly, President Metzler was able to announce: "You are looking at a happy president."

The program was rarely dense, comprehensive and integrative.

Festspielpräsident Hans-Peter Metzler

The program was "rarely dense, extensive and integrative". Especially after the rainy and therefore challenging rehearsal period, Metzler said he was "grateful and very happy" with the way the summer went. At the same time as setting up the new stage set, the festival also had to manage a reconstruction. With the rescheduled play "The Broken Jug", the Burgtheater's Easter guest performance and the program for school classes, the festival has basically had a program since Easter, said Sobotka. The contemporary plays were particularly special for her. The Festival's broad range is one of its strengths, and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra is a "strong partner".

Colleagues became friends, Elisabeth Sobotka said as she said goodbye.

(Bild: Bregenzer Festspiele / Lisa Mathis)

"A real festival mood"
The "Freischütz" had "perfect weather" right on time for the premiere and ever since, which put Diem in a "real festival mood". In view of the rainy spring and the flooding of the lake, this is not a matter of course. "It makes me particularly grateful that this special interpretation was so well received by the audience," said the artistic director, praising "Freischütz" director Philipp Stölzl, who staged "a great show in the best sense of the word". The 28 sold-out performances were "a gift".

They were the ten best years of my career.

Scheidende Intendantin Elisabeth Sobotka

"Everything we dreamed of"
In three days, not only the festival season at Lake Constance will come to an end, but also the era of Elisabeth Sobotka. She has been artistically responsible for the festival since 2015. It was not easy for Metzler to say goodbye: "We live in the here and now, which helps us. Otherwise it would be hard to say goodbye, also personally." Sobotka's time was magical right from the start because everything worked so well from the beginning. "Everything we dreamed of, everything we hoped for, has been fulfilled," said the President, who was "infinitely grateful" for this. "They were the ten best years of my career," said Sobotka, returning the praise to "the best boss and the best colleague". "We've become friends, that's not to be taken for granted." She and Lilli Paasikivi will celebrate their farewells and beginnings together on Sunday.

Tickets for the next festival season go on sale on October 1. The new artistic director's first production on the program will be George Enescu's house opera "Oedipe", premiering on 16 July 2025, as well as the revival of the lake opera "Der Freischütz" the following day with a total of 25 performances.