Arsonore Graz

Five wind players and a clown get the big party started

The Vienna-Berlin ensemble is probably the most exciting brass quintet of our time.

(Bild: Ensemble Wien-Berlin)

Arsonore opens this year with a special kind of summit meeting on Wednesday (September 4, 7.30 pm) at Schloss Eggenberg in Graz: the Ensemble Wien-Berlin, artistic director Markus Schirmer on the piano and clown Anatoli Akerman kick off an exuberant party to celebrate the festival's 10th birthday.

When the Ensemble Wien-Berlin, with Karl-Heinz Schütz, Jonathan Kelly, Gerald Pachinger, Richard Galler and Stefan Dohr virtually an all-star formation of top Viennese and Berlin orchestras, and Anatoli Akerman, probably one of the best-known and most captivating clowns (Circus Roncalli, Cirque du Soleil), join forces, then only Arsonore artistic director Markus Schirmer can be behind it.

Clown Anatoli Akerman mixes up the Arsonore opening.

(Bild: Alina_Radkovic)

Together, the musicians have put together a sparkling program that not only offers the highest quality, but also plenty of fun. Composers such as Saint-Saëns, Milhaud, Mozart, Dvořák and Ligeti join in, but a crowd favorite also bursts into the Planetensaal and ensures that the "Party!!!" - which is the festival's motto this year - gets going.

The exuberant atmosphere continues throughout the rest of the program. Audience favorites and young talents such as Jevgēnijs Čepoveckis, Leonhard Baumgartner, Thomas Selditz, Julian Arp, Petrit Çeku and Marie Spaemann celebrate pure life with Markus Schirmer on day two.

The king of piano music
Friday then belongs entirely to Frédéric Chopin. Kamila Sacharchewska and Tomasz Zajac, two young, internationally award-winning pianists from Poland, and cellist Nadja Stiegler will pay homage to the king of piano music. In addition, Feride Büyükdenktas sings her wonderful mezzo-soprano, and the young, charismatic actress Fanny Altenburger enchants with sensitively selected French poetry. It is probably the most classical evening of the year.

Pianist Tomasz Zajac celebrates Chopin on Friday.

(Bild: Filip Błażejowski)

Friday morning is a feast for the young and youngest Arsonore visitors: under the title "Virtuoso", the "gscheiten Professor" Harald Haslmayr, Markus Schirmer and a number of young musicians will take you through the wonderful world of music.

On Saturday, super guitarist Mario Berger and accordion zampano Christian Bakanic provide a pure atmosphere. Afterwards, a pure party awaits at Dom im Berg when Markus Schirmer revives the legendary "Studio 74" clubbing. And on Sunday, Mnozil Brass invites you to the grand finale at Graz Opera House. An extremely worthy Arsonore party to celebrate its 10th birthday! Information and tickets are available at arsonore.at.