Wiener Festwochen. 14 May – 20 June 2010
Since 1951, Wiener Festwochen, one of the oldest, largest and best European international theatre and music festivals, invariably held at the most beautiful time of the year (in Vienna, May and June arrive with an explosion of roses in bloom), has been serving as a reaffirmation of the Austrian capital's status as a vital city of top-class art. Every night the city opens its venues to opera, theatre and dance performances, concerts and exhibitions, bringing together the greatest names from worldwide. The 100 000 Rose Project, scheduled to take place as part of this year's festival, is a special tribute to the loyal spectator.
The programme of Wiener Festwochen offers a wide range of events representing a diversity of formats, from traditional theatre performances and grand opera productions to theatre-structured walks in the city and short yet powerful performance art sessions, created both by legendary directors and ensembles and freshly discovered performing art newbies.
One of the new names - admittedly, one that has already managed to earn the status of something of a European cult director in a very short time - is the Hungarian stage and screen director Kornél Mundruczó; he is bringing to Vienna his stage version of the Russian writer Vladimir Sorokin's Ice.
It is well worth the while to take advantage of a rare opportunity which is a distinctive feature of Wiener Festwochen: it is the time and place to immerse into the experience that is the theatre marathon nights which last for five, seven or even twelve hours.
Do not miss the nine-hour piece by the Canadian alchemist of the stage Robert Lepage, Lipsynch - a tribute to the human voice.
The great master of the German theatre Peter Stein and his ensemble of twenty-five actors offer their take on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Demons, a twelve-hour affair born last summer at Stein's Italian country residence. The controversial director, repeatedly written off as someone who belongs among the theatre greats of the past, has been surprising critics and theatre-goers alike with works of consistent quality during the past few years, including the Schiller Woodstock in Berlin - his intelligent reading of Wallenstein. Peter Stein shows genuine respect for and interest in text; his mission is attempting to show texts on the theatre stage exactly the way they were written originally, which means - without over-packing them with his own interpretations and ideas, leaving them open for each individual spectator's intelligence and reading skills. Those who saw Peter Stein's production of Demons last year write of new roads he is exploring.
Another Peter Stein production included in this year's festival programme is Alban Berg's Lulu opera which, conducted by Daniele Gatti, premiered at Opéra National de Lyon and is also running at Milan's Teatro alla Scala this spring.
The musical programme of this year's Wiener Festwochen marks the 125th birth anniversary of the Viennese composer Alban Berg with two 20th-century masterpieces: Stein's Lulu and a production of Wozzeck (directed by Stéphane Braunschweig), as well as a string of recitals featuring appearances by world class musicians.
The festival programme includes works by Latvian and Estonian theatre companies. Wiener Festwochen will see the world premiere of Graveyard Party, a production by the JRT theatre and Alvis Hermanis.
The Estonian NO99 theatre is bringing to Vienna an art performance by Ene Liis Semper, one of the leading Estonian artists - a sequel to the famous attempt to "explain pictures to a dead hare" by Joseph Beuys; this time, the place of the dead hare is taken by the Estonian Minister of Culture.
Another must-see event at this year's Wiener Festwochen is Out of Context, the latest piece by the Flemish choreography Alain Platel.
Programme: www.festwochen.at
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