Immling keeps its word!
Immling keeps its word!
“I can promise to be honest, but I can’t promise to be impartial.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Dear opera lover,
The 28th season of the Immling Festival came to an end on Sunday, August 18, with a musical picture book that once again impressively reminded us of this year’s motto MITMENSCHLICH!
At the beginning we asked: “Can opera be “political”? CAN opera be “political”?
We, who unite up to 40 different nations under our roof every year to make music together, must answer this question with a clear “YES”.” This is how Artistic Director Ludwig Baumann and Musical Director Cornelia von Kerssenbrock clearly state their position in their program foreword, and the promise that Immling MITMENSCHLICH writes large in every sense is once again impressively reflected throughout the 28th season.
And I don’t even mean the big themes in our operas, but all the “little” things that – often invisible to you – take place before, after and sometimes even in the middle of them.
Photo Cornelia von Kerssenbrock with orchestra & festival choir © Nicole Richter
A choir singer literally falls to her knees during the choral gala, her colleagues help her to lie down (on the choir stairs!) – while everyone continues to sing! Maestra von Kerssenbrock calmly conducts to the end and turns to the audience after the applause: “We have a minor emergency, can the emergency doctor please come on stage?” Heat, the circulation had failed, but everyone was on hand and acted compassionately and calmly, I was really deeply impressed – I would probably have panicked and thrown everyone else off their stride.
Our Amneris has problems with her voice and “shares” the performance, so to speak, with a singer who helps out at short notice, singing from the side, while the sick actress performs the challenging role on stage with perfect form.
Photo – Festival choir © Verena von Kerssenbrock
Immling also shows its humanity every year in the inclusion event. People who are usually unable to attend live performances at the opera or theater due to physical or mental limitations are given their full right to participate in what makes us human – experiencing culture together! It is a matter of honor that everyone from Immling volunteers on this day to help push wheelchairs to the right place, even those who are lying down can enjoy the music and performance with us!
And if you didn’t realize it until the end, you’ll know by the Finale Grande at the latest just HOW good Immling is as a human being! A young Namibian conducts “Dry Your Tears, Africa”, the title tune from the slave movie “Amistad”. Namibia gained its independence in 1990, the apartheid era is not forgotten!
Five young tenors from as many nations “share” the beautiful aria “Nessun Dorma” from “Turandot” and at the end they all cheer the last line together with great skill, joy and fun: “All’alba vincerò” (in the twilight I will win) – singers from Lebanon, Mexico, Poland, England and the Ukraine affirm that music overcomes everything and that nations can win together! Because they have surely conquered all our hearts!
Photo – Elson Hindundu
And this time, after the “final” encore, the traditional “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici” from La Traviata, there was another “counterpoint” (in the broadest sense, a new or “counter” voice to a theme) set by Maestra von Kerssenbrock herself: The chorus sits down again, the orchestra takes up the instruments and a singer stands up and begins to sing. Another one stands up, then one, and then first one, then several counter-voices respond from the other end of the hall. All the soloists march up the aisle together, while more and more in the choir stand up and join in the singing – all holding the small flags of the 40 nations that have decorated the driveway throughout the festival. The final chorus, a revolutionary song, is about wanting to live in peace, about being allowed to be together, sung by everyone – goosebumps! The Gothe quote from the beginning is almost overpowering.
And in the tent the party continues, soloists dance exuberantly to African drums and everyone sings one of the beautiful Georgian songs together with the choristers from Georgia – music leads the way, now all we need is for our politicians around the world to finally understand: we want to live together peacefully, share our cultures and realize a peaceful world together.
A big dream – in Immling it becomes a little reality every year.
With this in mind – look forward to the 29th season on the hill!
Sincerely, as always, I bid you farewell
Yours, Christiane Berker
Photo – Yunuet Laguna, Diana Alexe, Patricia Osei-Kofi © Nicole Richter
