Othmar Schoeck Festival 2025: "Investment Culture"
The 7th Othmar Schoeck Festival will take place in Brunnen from September 19 to 21 under the title "Investment Culture". The highlight is the performance of "Elegy" with Christian Gerhaher and the Basel Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Heinz Holliger.
Under the title "Investment Culture", the Othmar Schoeck Festival the complex topic of financing compositional creativity in the period between the First and Second World Wars. A particular focus is placed on the Winterthur industrialist Werner Reinhart, who as a patron of the arts was instrumental in supporting the work of numerous composers, including Igor Stravinsky, Alban Berg and in particular Othmar Schoeck.
Rarely heard works
The Opening concert on September 19 is dedicated to those composers whose work was made possible by Werner Reinhart's support. In addition to works by Stravinsky and Berg, Schoeck's "Wandersprüche" op. 42 will be performed, complemented by a world premiere by the American composer Jeremy Gill, who worked at Villa Schoeck for several months in 2023 as part of an artist residency.
The highlight is the Final concert on September 21 at the Seehotel Waldstätterhof with Christian Gerhaher and the Basel Chamber Orchestra under Heinz Holliger. They will perform Schoeck's "Elegy" op. 36. The traditional hotel has a special family connection to Othmar Schoeck: his mother Agathe was the daughter of the former owners of the Waldstätterhof.
Further program items include a master class Liedduo with Cornelia Kallisch and Edward Rushton in collaboration with the Lucerne School of Music, a lecture by Ulrike Thiele on Werner Reinhart and a new educational project for schoolchildren.
Significance for cultural heritage and regional development
The Othmar Schoeck Festival makes an important contribution to the preservation of a cultural heritage of local, national and international importance. The thematic concept, originally planned for ten years, enables a lasting and in-depth examination of the work of the composer, who was born in Brunnen in 1886. The festival also specifically conveys his music to younger generations, be they children and young people from the region or music students.
By engaging top-class international artists, high-quality musical experiences are created that radiate far beyond the region and at the same time strengthen the tourist appeal of Schoeck's birthplace. Some events take place in the historic Villa Schoeck, where the composer created some of his great works and which today serves as a genuine venue for encounters with his artistic oeuvre.
New financing strategies for a sustainable festival future
In view of the challenging financial situation, the festival is developing new strategies for planning security. The royalties from performances of Schoeck's works in the years 2025 to 2027 will be made available to the festival by the two communities of heirs of Schoeck's daughter Gisela (1932-2018) in Germany and Switzerland, for which the association is very grateful. In addition, the aim is to build up a private circle of patrons.
These measures have become necessary as the festival relies heavily on support from private foundations. Their financial possibilities also depend on the general economic development and the stock markets.
The Schweizer Musikzeitung is a media partner of the Othmar Schoeck Festival.
