St. Gallen

A small festival before the actual festival

Emmanuel Tjeknavorian provides a St. Gallen extra this year(Bild: Lukas Beck)

In St. Gallen on the edge of the Gesäuse, the first part of a two-part festival starts this Sunday. From July 21 to 23 and August 15 to 25, top-class concerts will once again be held around the picturesque Gallenstein Castle.

"Exceptionally!" jokes Reinhard Mitterbäck, part of the family of organizers of the Sankt Gallen Festival, on the phone. "As an exception", Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, star violinist and conductor, has been allowed to bring forward his concerts. But anyone who knows the Mitterbäck family and their dedication to their artists knows: of course Tjeknavorian was not denied the opportunity to accept the last-minute engagement in the States.

However, it was a bit of a hassle to start up the festival machinery twice. But if you have more than 35 years of experience in organizing festivals, you can do it. And so this year's Festival Sankt Gallen starts with a block of three concerts from July 21 to 23, also featuring Tjeknavorian "and friends" in a chamber music setting as well as the Matrix Orchestra, which was presented last year.

The active festival team around Erich, Johanna and Reinhard Mitterbäck(Bild: Festival St. Gallen)

The second block of events will feature the usual eclectic mix of styles that makes the Festival Sankt Gallen so special. Just as special is the fact that artists such as Erwin Ortner and his Arnold Schönberg Choir are quite free in their choice of program. This results in a refreshing anachronism. Anton Bruckner is hardly to be found in the program in its anniversary year, but there is plenty of Mozart, presented by artists such as the Salzburger Hofmusik or Ernst Kovacic.

This year, a portrait is dedicated to Gerd Kühr.(Bild: Walter Kober)

 And alongside more popular formats, the reappearance of the "Composer Portrait" is noteworthy. This year, on August 22, it is dedicated to Gerd Kühr and his extensive oeuvre, before celebrating the traditional finale with the Schönberg Choir with a gala on August 24 and mass on August 25. A visit is highly recommended!