The Dresden Music Festival (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: Dresdner Musikfestspiele) is an annual

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

which takes place in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, Germany in May and June. Although classical music, including

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

, forms the core of its performances, world music, jazz, and dance are also presented. One of its hallmarks is that the choice of repertoire is built on a specific theme which changes each year. The festival was established by government decree in 1978 when Dresden was still part of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. The German cellist

Jan Vogler Jan Vogler (born February 18, 1964) is a German-born classical cellist who lives in New York City."About Jan Vogler" ...

has been its Artistic Director since 2009.Rosenberg, Donald (7 June 2009)
"Dresden Music Festival embraces spirit of renewal for Germany and the world"
''

Cleveland Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

''. Retrieved 7 January 2016. The performances are held at a variety of venues in the city, including many baroque buildings destroyed in the bombing of World War II and since rebuilt, including the

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...

opera house, the

Dresden Frauenkirche The Dresden Frauenkirche (german: Dresdner Frauenkirche, , ''Church of Our Lady'') is a Evangelical Church in Germany, Lutheran church in Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony. Destroyed during the Allied Bombing of Dresden in Wo ...

, and the summer palace and grounds of the

Großer Garten The Großer Garten (English: Great Garden) is a Baroque style park in central Dresden. It is rectangular in shape and covers about 1.8 km². Originally established in 1676 on the orders of John George III, Elector of Saxony, it has been a p ...

. Among the opera rarities presented at the festival have been Richard Strauss's ''

Feuersnot ' (''Need for (or lack of) fire)'', Op. 50, is a ''Singgedicht'' (sung poem) or opera in one act by Richard Strauss. The German libretto was written by Ernst von Wolzogen, based on J. Ketel's report "Das erloschene Feuer zu Audenaerde". It was ...

'', a co-production with the Dresden Semperoper nominated for the 2015

International Opera Awards The International Opera Awards is an annual awards ceremony honouring excellence in opera around the world. Origins The International Opera Awards was founded in 2013 by Harry Hyman, a UK businessman, philanthropist and supporter of opera, and ...

, and

Princess Amalie of Saxony , image = María Amalia of Saxony by López Portaña.jpg , caption = Maria Amalie in 1825, portrait by Vicente López Portaña. , spouse = Franciscus de Merendonque ??? , issue = Johannes de Merendonque ??? , house ...

's ''

La casa disabitata ''La casa disabitata'' (The Uninhabited House) is a comic opera in one act composed by Princess Amalie of Saxony to her own Italian-language libretto. It was first performed in the court theatre of Pillnitz Castle in Dresden on 17 September 1835. ...

'', which received its first performance in the 177 years following its premiere during the 2012 festival. Since 2009 is

Jan Vogler Jan Vogler (born February 18, 1964) is a German-born classical cellist who lives in New York City."About Jan Vogler" ...

artistic director of the Dresden Music Festival. Before it was Hartmut Haenchen (2002–2008), Torsten Mosgraber (interim/2001-2002),

Michael Hampe Michael Hampe (3 June 1935 – 18 November 2022) was a German theatre and opera director, general manager (''Intendant'') and actor. He developed from acting and directing plays at German and Swiss theatres including the Bern Theatre, to focus o ...

(1993–2000), Mattis Dänhardt (1991–1992) and Winfried Höntsch (1977-1991). From 1994 to 2012,

Kim Ry Andersen Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese fo ...

, who studied law and business administration, was Deputy Director and Managing Director, wo came from the Danish Ministry of Culture and the Royal Theater in Copenhagen.

References

External links

* (with German and English versions) Classical music festivals in Germany Music in Dresden Music festivals established in 1978 Festivals in Dresden {{music-festival-stub