Bregenz Festival: The Freischütz inspires 7,000 spectators on Lake Constance!

Bregenz Festival: The Freischütz inspires 7,000 spectators on Lake Constance!

The Bregenz Festival can look back on an exciting start to the 2025 season. On Thursday, the important opera "Der Freischütz" by Carl Maria von Weber celebrated its premiere at the impressive sea stage in Lake Constance. This staging is a real crowd puller after just a few days.

Under the sky of almost 7,000 enthusiastic spectators, the guests experienced an unforgettable evening red, while the thunderstorms could only be heard from the speakers. With a total of 27 performances by mid -August, the festival expect up to 220,000 visitors: Inside - with 85 percent maps already sold, it is once more evident that the Bregenz Festival in the Home Land of the Opera is a fixture.

an impressive stage design and an exciting plot

director and stage designer Philipp Stölzl has created a magnificent set picture that shows a dilapidated village at the time of the Thirty Years' War in winter. The large water pool with around 500,000 liters of water is particularly unusual, which frames a significant part of the opera. This impressive concept cost a total of over eight million euros, which sets a real statement for the Bregenz Festival. [Visit Bregenz describes, such as ...]

The action of "Der Freischütz" is about Max, a young writer who has to take part in a shooting competition for his dear Agathe, the forester's daughter of the forester Kuno. However, since he is inexperienced, he desperately turns to the shady Kaspar, who offers him "free balls" with whom he is guaranteed to meet. These cursed balls, which Max finally connects to the devil, are at the center of the tragic story and give the opera their drama. [Bregenz Festival informs about the action ...]

A look into the future of the festival

The Bregenz Festival under the new director Lilli Paasikivi also faces challenges. Due to budget cuts by the federal, state and city, you have to plan with over two million euros less. Despite these financial hurdles, the program remains exciting. According to "Der Freischütz", Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata" and Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutch" will be on the schedule in the coming years. These famous works also promise exciting and emotionally charged evenings on Lake Constance.

The premiere of the opera "Oedipe" by George Enescu, which will be shown until Wednesday, reminds us of how diverse the offer is at Bregenz Festival. This season, the organizers expect almost 80 events until August 17, including numerous premieres that keep the festival alive and set new accents.

For all those who want to be enchanted by the magic of the opera and the unique backdrop of Lake Constance, the invitation remains open: from to Bregenz, where culture and nature meet!