Eberbach Monastery
Eltville (dpa) – Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier encouraged desperate music students to persevere in Corona times.
The pandemic made it impossible for them to rehearse many times, but above all to make concerts, said the head of state, according to a statement on the occasion of the opening of the Rheingau Music Festival (RMF) on Saturday evening in Eltville, Hesse. “I know from conversations that quite a few of them toyed with the idea of giving up because they feared for their existence, because they no longer saw a future for themselves and their profession,” added Steinmeier. “I would like to persuade each and every one of them to persevere, to continue on the path they have chosen and to follow their calling.”
The festive start of the RMF was also planned as a benefit concert for the Federal President. Steinmeier said he was pleased that this tradition could be resumed after a break of more than two years. Germany needs a “new start to culture”.
Music and the joy of life
At the sold out evening concert with around 650 listeners in the large basilica of the Eberbach monastery, Hesse’s Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) also spoke. “The pandemic and its effects make the things that we have taken for granted in our lives so far into something special. By becoming more aware of them again, we learn to appreciate them again, ”he said, according to the press release. «What expresses joy in life for many is music. The good news from today is that it is happening again. “
The program of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra included works by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Jean Sibelius. The former Cistercian monastery is widely known as the location for the film “The Name of the Rose”.
Record number of concerts planned
Last year, the RMF, one of the largest mainly privately financed festivals in Europe, fell victim to the corona pandemic. A record number of concerts with classical music as a focus is planned for this summer: With the repetitions of events with a reduced number of listeners on the same day, there should be 209 performances. Jazz and pop music should also be heard.
Most of the concerts will take place in Hessen, but some are also planned in Ingelheim in Rhineland-Palatinate. In total, the RMF, founded in 1987, expects around 3,000 musicians from Germany and abroad at numerous venues such as churches and wineries, but also in the Kurhaus and the Brita-Arena in Wiesbaden. The 34th season of the concert series is scheduled to take place by September 5th.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210627-99-160638 / 3
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