Culture calendar
July 29, 2013
All over Germany, the music of Richard Wagner can be heard throughout 2013, the 200th anniversary of his birth. It's no wonder, then, that opera lovers turn their attention to Bayreuth in particular, where the Bayreuth Festival is now taking place in honor of the composer through August 25.
The annual festival, featuring only works by Wagner, opened this year with a performance of "The Flying Dutchman," which was broadcast live in selected cinemas and on television.
Bayreuth's legendary Green Hill is abuzz for the next month with opera fans from near and far. Observers are especially curious about this year's new production of "The Ring" cycle, directed by Frank Castorf and conducted by Kirill Petrenko. Those who want to watch the whole thing, however, will have to bring a seat cushion and some patience: The four-part "Ring" lasts a total of 16 hours.
Art on the river
Music can't just be heard on the Green Hill, but from August 16-18 on the Elbe River in Hamburg as well. During the MS Dockville Festival, 130 international bands and DJs from the indie, electro and folk scenes will perform on six stages.
The event also regularly includes a poetry slam and light and art installations. Participants from the MS Dockville art camp have been preparing their works since April. Some 22,000 visitors are expected to attend.
A night at the museum
On August 31, nearly half of Berlin's 200 museums will be opening their doors until late in the night with a special program. This year, the event, taking place for the 33rd time, focuses on inter-generational ties.
The Charité's Medical History Museum plans to lead visitors from a scale used to weigh newborns to a pacemaker, while the Seniors' Computer Club is presenting games for young and old at the Computer Game Museum. Meanwhile in the Gemäldegalerie, a cosmetic surgeon will share his thoughts on Lucas Cranach the Elder's 16th-century painting "Fountain of Youth."
Shuttles will be on hand to transport visitors across town to the 95 participating museums, which will remain open until 2:00 am.
Chamber music with the stars
Wagner isn't the only one who is celebrating a big birthday this year. 2013 also marks the 20th anniversary of the Moritzburg Festival in Dresden, an annual chamber music extravaganza. From August 10-25, internationally renowned musicians like violinist Midori and pianist Alice Sara Ott will share the stage with the next generation of promising young stars.
Forty-five up-and-coming classical musicians have been preparing a program of orchestral and chamber works, together with their experienced colleagues. During the festival, concerts will take place in impressive locations, like the Baroque Moritzburg Castle and Dresden's Church of Our Lady, but also in a hangar at a local airport and the park in front of Proschwitz Castle.
Celebrating the arts
How does it feel to experience war? The theater group Rimini Protokoll will be asking that question during the Ruhrtriennale from August 23 through October 6. In one interactive production, visitors will use iPads to slip into the role of a child soldier or arms maker.
Through theater, dance and installations, the Ruhrtriennale links art and culture with industry. Performances are to be held in disused mines and old factory buildings in Germany's industrial heartland, the Ruhr region.
Young art
Choosing from over 140 applicants, the jury nominated just four people for the Preis der Nationalgalerie für junge Kunst (Nationalgalerie's Prize for Young Art). From August 29 to January 12, an exhibition at the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin will show paintings, sculptures and photographs by the four finalists: Kerstin Brätsch, Mariana Castillo Deball, Simon Denny, and Haris Epaminonda.
The winner of the prize, awarded this year for the seventh time, will be announced on September 19. While no prize money is given, the winner will be able to present their works in a solo exhibition next year.