Schubertiade

Schubertiade

Mid-June

When Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) participated in concerts put on for a small group of friends and fans, these intimate gatherings became known as "Schubertiads." Since 1976, the festival in honor of Schubert's music known as Schubertiade has attempted to recreate this tradition. Under the artistic direction of Hermann Prey, who retired as artistic director in 1984, a 10-year cycle of Schubert's symphonies, songs, and piano concertos has been planned in the exact order in which they were composed, with chamber music, choral music, and operas performed in between. Since 1984, however, the program has also included works by composers other than Schubert.
Initially the concerts were given at the Palace of Hohenems in Hohenems, Austria, with the Alps rising in the background. During the 1990s the festival moved to Feldkirch, and now the Schubertiade is held in the village of Schwarzenberg at the Angelika-Kauffmann-Saal, a beautiful timber-framed hall, at the Kleine Dorfsaal next door, and at the Hotel Post in the neighboring village of Bezau.
A number of ensembles known for their interpretations of Schubert's work have participated in the festival, including the Brandeis Quartet, the Franz Schubert Quartet, the Amadeus Quartet, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

CONTACTS:
Schubertiade GmbH
Villa Rosenthal, Schweizer Strasse 1
Postfach 100
Hohenems, A-6845 Austria
43-5576-7209-1; fax: 43-5576-7545-0
www.schubertiade.at/Schubertiade/f_news.2.h

SOURCES:
MusFestEurBrit-1980, p. 27