Operklosterneuburg


The operklosterneuburg is an Austrian opera festival held annually in the baroque imperial courtyard of Klosterneuburg Abbey in Lower Austria.

History

The festival was founded in 1993 by Alexander Hermann and Sonja Fletzberger and takes place in July and August. Since 1998 it has been under the direction of Michael Garschall.
In contrast to other Austrian summer festivals, the Klosterneuburg Opera follows a moderately modern line in its productions. The directors who have worked here include Max Augenfeld,,, Michael Garschall, Isabella Gregor, Andy Hallwaxx, Alexander Hauer, Jens-Daniel Herzog, , Markus Kupferblum, Matthias Lutz, and Julian Pölsler,, Karl M. Sibelius,, Matthias von Stegmann,. The comparatively sparse furnishings are closely matched to the existing architecture. The natural acoustics of the Abbey courtyard enable singing without amplification or other technical manipulation. For numerous soloists, a performance at the festival was a springboard to an international career.
Initially, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Konstantin Schenk, Andreas Stöhr and Matthias Fletzberger was the main orchestra. Since 2000, the Sinfonietta Baden, Thomas Rösner, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, , and Christoph Campestrini - have been involved.
The production of Giuseppe Verdi's La forza del destino planned for 2020 will not take place until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria.

Repertoire