The Schubertiade

Foundation, history and development

A festival for Franz Schubert. Giving him his rightful place alongside Mozart and Beethoven was the idea behind the Schubertiade, which was first held in Hohenems in 1976. Initiated by Herrmann Prey, the small town, rich in history, quickly became one of the most renowned festival venues. According to Prey's plans, a kind of "Bayreuth for Schubert" was to be created in the local Renaissance palace. A place where people would have the unique opportunity to familiarise themselves with the composer's complete works. However, the concept was rather unusual: all the works were to be performed in the order in which they were composed. However, Prey's idea was neither artistically nor financially feasible in this small setting, so he withdrew from Hohenems. Gerd Nachbauer, who had been involved as managing director since the beginning, also took over as artistic director in the early 1980s (a position he still holds today) and subsequently expanded the programme. Until 1983, the programme consisted exclusively of compositions by Franz Schubert; since then, works by other composers - primarily Schubert's predecessors, contemporaries and successors - have also been performed. As before, however Franz Schubert's extensive oeuvre is still at the centre of the festival, with recitals, chamber concerts and piano recitals forming the main focus of the programme.

Today, the Schubertiade is the most important and renowned Schubert festival in the world, with around 70 events and 35,000 visitors each year. The Schubertiade's dense programme and unique atmosphere are appreciated by avowed Schubert lovers from all over the world as well as by numerous music lovers from the region.

Artists

To list those who have performed at the Schubertiade since its beginnings would be tantamount to a "Who's Who" of the song and chamber music scene. In addition to Hermann Prey, Peter Schreier was one of the very first performers, and with Christa Ludwig and Brigitte Fassbaender, the great ladies of lieder singing were also there from the very beginning. And without Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the Schubertiade would be almost unthinkable. In addition to the pianists Sviatoslav Richter, Alfred Brendel and András Schiff, renowned chamber music ensembles such as the Alban Berg Quartet and the Hagen Quartet have also characterised the Schubertiade. The festival's tradition also includes fostering young talent with young performers. To this day, the Schubertiade is committed to giving young musicians the opportunity to perform in front of an expert audience.

Venues - from its foundation to the present day

In the 50 years of its existence, the festival has been held at numerous venues and can look back on an eventful history in the truest sense of the word. The first concerts in the Knights' Hall of the Renaissance Palace in Hohenems were followed by concerts in Feldkirch and as part of the "Landpartien" at particularly charming locations such as Achberg Castle in the romantic Argental valley, the town of Lindau on Lake Constance, St Gerold's provostry in the Großes Walsertal valley and Schwarzenberg in the Bregenzerwald. Since 2001, the concerts have only taken place in Schwarzenberg and since 2005 also in Hohenems.

Angelika Kauffmann Hall, Schwarzenberg

The Angelika Kauffmann Hall, built in a simple timber construction and extended in 2001, has 600 seats and is characterised by its unique location in the middle of a tranquil meadow and mountain landscape. It offers perfect acoustic conditions that delight artists and audiences alike and has received numerous superlatives from the international press. The hall is named after the famous painter Angelika Kauffmann (1741-1807), who had close ties to her father's home town.

Markus Sittikus Hall, Hohenems

The concerts of the Schubertiade Hohenems take place in the Markus-Sittikus-Saal, which - embedded in a beautiful garden with fountain and hedge theatre - seats 300 people. From the forecourt, visitors can enjoy an impressive view of the steeply rising Schlossberg, where the remains of Altems Castle are located. The hall, which was built in 1913 and is a listed building, was completely renovated by the Schubertiade and is now one of the world's best halls for chamber music and Lieder. It bears the name Markus Sittikus Hall in memory of Count Markus Sittikus von Hohenems (1574-1619), who as Salzburg's prince-archbishop not only significantly shaped the cityscape with the construction of the cathedral and Hellbrunn Palace, but also founded Salzburg's great opera tradition with the first opera performances outside Italy.

Schubertiade Quarter, Hohenems

Music and cultural history on more than 1,000m2 of exhibition space

As the founding venue of the Schubertiade, Hohenems is closely associated with Franz Schubert, even though he himself never set foot in the small town in the Vorarlberg Rhine Valley. The Schubertiade is not only dedicated to his musical work, there is also no other place where so much about Franz Schubert can be seen: The Franz Schubert Museum and the Schubertiade Museum offer an overview of the life and reception history of the great composer in more than 20 historical rooms. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (1915-2006) was one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, whose career, rich in highlights, is documented by numerous recordings that still set standards today. The Schubertiade GmbH owns the music-historically important part of her estate and that of her husband Walter Legge; the Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Museum and the Legge Museum are home to these collections. One room of the Legge Museum is dedicated to "Stefan Zweig and the musical life of his time", as the world-famous writer's maternal grandfather was a co-owner and resident of this house. The rediscovery of manuscripts C and A in Hohenems Palace (1755 and 1779) marked the beginning of the success story of the Song of the Nibelungs, which became the German national epic and was popularised worldwide by Richard Wagner with his four-part musical drama "The Ring of the Nibelung". This major work by Wagner and other important adaptations of the Nibelung theme for stage and film are the focus of the small Nibelung Museum. And in the Shoemaker Museum, the components of the shoemaker's workshop of Karl Nachbauer (the grandfather of Schubertiade Managing Director Gerd Nachbauer) are on display.