Festspielhaus Baden-Baden General Director Invites Anna Netrebko Back

(Credit: Julian Hargreaves) After the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden announced its season, General Director Benedikt Stampa said he would be welcoming back Anna Netrebko. The director said, “We invite artists to Baden-Baden who do not explicitly support Putin.” The festival director also noted that Valery Gergiev is not invited because of his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said, “It’s definitely {…}

Baden Baden Festspielhaus Cancels Osterfestspiele & Whitsun Festivals

The Baden Baden Festspielhaus has announced that its annual Osterfestspiele Baden-Baden and its Whitsun Festival have been canceled due to extended COVID-19 restrictions. The German festival was expected to open reopen in early May and had rescheduled an originally planned production of Tchaikovsky’s “Mazeppa” in concert form. The work was supposed to be performed twice and feature the Berlin Philharmonic {…}

Baden-Baden Easter Festival & Berlin Philharmonic Extend Collaboration

The Baden-Baden Easter Festival and ⁦Berlin Philharmonic have extended their collaboration.  Benedikt Stampa, director of the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and Andrea Zietzschmann, director of the foundation of the Berlin Philharmonic announced that the two would continue their collaboration beyond 2022. The announcement also noted that the 2023 festival will have a focus on Richard Strauss. The 2022 season will feature a {…}

Sonya Yoncheva, Joyce DiDonato & Diana Damrau Highlight Festspielhaus Baden Baden 2020-21 Season

(Credit: Jiyang Chen/Javier del Real/ Simon Pauly) The Festspielhaus Baden Baden has announced its 2020-21 season. For this article we will only highlight vocal performances. The season opens with Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and “Bluebeard’s Castle.” Rinat Shaham and Gerald Finley star in the later with Sir Simon Rattle conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. Performance Date: Sept. 20, 2020 Benjamin {…}