Carinthischer Sommer: Young Art and Prominent Words

Culture as an Impulse to Happiness

After a super sound-filled pre-opening under Marino Formenti the Carinthischer Sommer received prominent guests from politics, business and art at its opening at the Villach Congress Center on Sunday. The opening speech was held by philosopher Robert Faller.

The opening was naturally marked by music, first by Nikolaus Fheodoroff, Kurt Schwertsik, Anton Wunderer, Mozart: for the concert evening then by Alma Deutscher who performed her works herself, including a premiere! on the violin and piano with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. Happy greetings were extended by the head of the association, Klemens Fheodoroff and festival director Holger Bleck, who, after presenting the CS programme including the church opera “Hemma – eine Weibspassion” by Bruno Strobl on a libretto by Franzobel, closed with ” Let us begin to fly, let us search for the lightness of being … so that we may never regret not having kissed enough (the 2017 CS motto). The words matched those of Robert Pfaller who humourously outed himself as a true Epicure. Minister of Culture Thomas Drozda marvelled at the artistic variety of the Carinthischer Sommer, however at the same time painting a grim picture of the world of today and saw his hopes for the future in ” a social state as an outstanding cultural achievement.” A full review of the opening concert will appear tomorrow, Tuesday

A.Hein

Translation by John Allan Moffat