Programme

This year, the great maestro Karel Mark Chichon is once again responsible for the program as artistic director. With Offenbach, Ravel, Verdi, Lehár, Johann Strauss Sohn, Bellini and Puccini, he promises music lovers a wonderful night of music under the stars!
"Every year, it is a great pleasure for me to put together the program for these two unique summer night concerts. Both in Kitzbühel and in Göttweig we have a very special energy and sound opportunity in the open air. For the artists, it is an opportunity to make classical music accessible to the audience in all its beauty,” says Artistic Director Karel Mark Chichon.

Personal premiere for Elīna Garanča
Maria Callas was particularly famous for her interpretations of Giacomo Puccini's operas. Both icons will be honored with a very special premiere at this year's Summer Night Concerts: Elīna Garanča will bring the poignant aria “O ma lyre immortelle” from Gounod's opera “Sapho” to life for the first time in the impressive settings of Göttweig and Kitzbühel.
Serena Saenz then leads the audience on a wondrous and emotional journey through time with an interpretation of “Je veux vivre” from Romeo et Juliette by Gounod and Johann Strauss Sohn's popular Frühlingsstimmen-Walzer, which is seen as a continuation of the Austrian tradition of dance music.
The performance of “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!” from Lehár's “Das Land des Lächelns” and Puccini's “Nessun Dorma”, which is considered one of the most famous opera arias of all time, sung by Iván Ayón-Rivas, gives the audience an insight into the breathtaking and impulsive world of opera music and provides a real goosebump moment.
In addition to the voice of the future 2024, Clemens Alexander Frank - who makes his debut with “Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen” from “Die tote Stadt” - the audience can look forward to a “Mediterranean medley” by the three exceptional artists. This year, the artists will once again be accompanied by the Vienna Volksoper Orchestra, which will offer a captivating sound experience. Experience opera as a total work of art and what it means when singers give themselves over to controlled ecstasy.
Once again this year, Barbara Rett will charmingly and skillfully guide the audience through the evening. She is an integral part of the Summer Night Concerts and is highly appreciated by the artists and classical music lovers.