From 20 September to 3 October the fire will be glowing in Kronberg: At third Kronberg Festival in 2022 opened Casals Forum, reknowned artists as well as orchestras and ensembles from all around the world will gather to present 30 top-class concerts. The program ranges from baroque works and romantic cello concerts to Jazz with the BigBand of Hessischer Rundfunk.
Musical highlights are guaranteed in the two opening concerts on September 20th with reknowned cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, the "Ensemble Resonanz" from Hamburg and Ludwig van Beethovens' 3rd Symphony "Eroica". Rousing folkloristic sounds await the audience in the concert with Slovakian Janoska-Ensemble on September 21 with arrangements of classical works by Bach and Brahms as well as own compositions of the Janoskas. And who is attracted to innovative concert settings, will get their money worth at "Notfallkonzert" ("emergency concert") on 22. September with the string quartet of "Orchester im Treppenhaus" or the „Stegreif Orchester“ on 1 October.
For fans of Ancient Music, cellist Anastasia Kobekina will play a baroque programme with orchestra “La Stagione Frankfurt” on September 22. Hungarian Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra directed by István Várdai will make heard Joseph Haydns cello concerto no 1 and Béla Bartóks „Romanian Folk Dances“ on September 24. On 25th of the month, there will be a musical journey to Vienna with Chamber Orchestra of Europe's wind players directed by Swiss avantgarde composer Heinz Holliger: In a refreshingly innovative programme constellation, the will put Franz Schubert's Quintet in A major „The Trout“ aside with twelve tone-composer Alban Berg's Chamber Concerto for Piano, Violin and 13 Wind Instruments gegenüber.
Another of the festival's highlights will be the appearance of Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, who is teaching in the Kronberg Academy Study Programmes since last year. She will be heard on October 2 with Antonio Vivaldi's famous “Four seasons” as well as Astor Piazzollas re-composition of Vivaldi's work. The festival is brought to a furious conclusion with the twin concerts „Into the Light“ on October 3rd: The Frankfurt Radio Symphony under the baton of young conductor Anna Handler presents Max Bruch's famous violin concerto no1 in G minor and Peter Tchaikovsky's "Rococo Variations" with soloists Guido Sant’Anna (Violine) and Jaemin Han (Cello), as well as Franz Schuberts 7th symphony in B minor, „Unfinished“.
In 2024, Kronberg Academy has chosen the festival motto „Passing on the fire“. Following Gustav Mahler's quote „Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the transmission of fire“, the Academy wishes to provide a panel to pass fire and flame: Between the musicians on the stage, from one generation to the next through teaching in the masterclasses and, of course, from the artists to the audience.
All above mentioned concerts will take place in the Grand Hall resp. Carl Bechstein Hall of Casals Forum - the newly built, 2022 opened concert venue of Kronberg Academy. During the festival, there will be an attractive framing program consisting of concert introductions und lectures about violin making. A relaxed concert format will be introduced with the newseries „Fringe“: concerts in open air at the near Victoria park. A glimpse into the musical workshop is offered in the cello masterclasses: 140 young talents from all over the world are taught by five reknowned cellist personalities such as Frans Helmerson and Marie-Elisabeth Hecker. The public masterclasses are opened for all interested visitors. The prize-awarded participants are to be heard in the concert "Entdeckungen" ("discoveries") on September 29 as well as in the prizewinner concert the following day.
Also, the 2nd international violin making fair VioViva Kronberg takes place during the Kronberg Festival 2024 and makes the city a meeting point for violin and bow makers from all over the world, who present themselves at Kronberg Stadthalle (Municipal Hall) to the public.
An overview of the Festival concerts is to be found on www.kronbergacademy.de. Tickets can be purchased on Kronberg Academy's website, via telephone +49 6173 - 78 33 77 or e-mail karten(at)kronbergacademy.de
The full Press Release (in German) is available for download here.