In 2022, a total of 72 events – 29 recitals, 14 piano recitals, 26 chamber concerts, two lectures and a music talk are on the programme of the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and Hohenems.
Schubert’s order of his own songs
The 2022 Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg and Hohenens will see performances of all of Franz Schubert’s song opus numbers that the composer himself arranged for publication.
It is with these songs – about a third of his total lieder output – that Schubert wanted to make a name for himself. Not only the selection of these songs, but also their arrangement conforms to Schubert’s intentions. After the fashion of the period, he usually grouped three of four songs together under one opus number. These might have been songs on texts by a certain poet, or songs chosen by friends to whom he wanted to dedicate a volume. But his primary concern was to group together songs which complemented each other thematically. Only in the context of the song groups does the meaning of each individual song become fully clear.
Schubert’s String Quartets
In five concerts, the Quatuor Modigliani will play all of Schubert’s string quartets, complemented by his string quintet. In 2022, a total of 72 events – 29 recitals, 14 piano recitals, 26 chamber concerts, two lectures and a music talk are on the programme of the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and Hohenems.
The world’s premier Schubert Festival
A festival for Franz Schubert which would accord him his due place alongside Mozart and Beethoven – this was the idea behind the first Schubertiade, which was founded by Hermann Prey in 1976 in the small town of Hohenems situated in the most western part of Austria.
This quickly developed into one of the most renowned of all festival locations, becoming an annual meeting place for an international audience that seeks an exceptional cultural experience: hearing music performed by outstanding artists in idyllic surroundings. The concerts, furthermore, are not presented in some anonymous or interchangeable international festival, but are part of a structured festival programme whose distinctive identity is formed by an uncompromising dedication to the art of Franz Schubert.
Today, with about 80 events and over 35,000 visitors per year, the Schubertiade is the most significant and most distinguished Schubert festival in the world. Nowhere else are so many lieder recitals presented in such a short frame of time by such world-class singers. Chamber concerts and piano recitals of the highest calibre represent another branch of the annual Schubertiade programme, which additionally features some orchestral concerts, readings and masterclasses. In contrast to the hustle and bustle prevailing at other festivals, the Schubertiade takes care to preserve the more intimate character of a music festival where energies can be concentrated on what really matters: music-making of exemplary quality.
Consequently, the list of artists who have performed at the Schubertiade reads like a “Who’s Who“ of the lieder and chamber music scene. In addition, it is part of the Schubertiade tradition to nurture young talent; by scheduling artists at the beginning of their career, the festival gives the opportunity to its audience of making some exciting new discoveries.
SCHWARZENBERG, Angelika Kauffmann Hall
June 18 – 26
August 20 – 28
HOHENEMS, Markus Sittikus Hall
April 28 – May 4
July 14 – 17
October 1 – 9
