Itinerary : Bregenzer Festspiele

July 17 - Aug. 18, 2024

Der Freischutz, Carl Maria von Weber

Romantic Opera in 3 Acts (1821)

3 days / 2 nights (Half Board)

Germanic Experiences making travel dreams come true

Bregenzer Festspiele is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria). It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance. In 2001, the festival created a handful of contemporary arts events to go along with their usual performances. These events were a new collaboration with the Kunsthaus Bregenz. Other add-ons that the festival created for more variety and entertainment are the Children's Festival, the opera and band workshops, and family and school-group concerts. Along with the main performance at the floating stage, the festival presents a wide variety of musical and theatrical events, specially at the Seebühne (or floating stage), with 7,000 seat open-air amphitheatre, is the location for large-scale opera or musical performances on a stage over water on the shores of Lake Constance. Opera or musical productions on the floating stage generally tend to come from the popular operatic repertoire, but often are extravagantly original and innovative productions/ stagings, frequently using the waters of the lake as an extension of the stage.

The main performance during the Festival 2024 is Der Freischutz, one of the most popular Operas from Carl Maria von Weber, a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic of the early Romantic period. As one of the most popular operas in the German speaking world, Der Freischütz is now staged on the Seebühne for the first time with director and stage designer Philipp Stölzl and Conductor in Residence Enrique Mazzola. Video: https://youtu.be/stdh0MH3A8E

Description of Der Freischutz (translated “the Marksman”)

In an uninviting village in Germany shortly after the Thirty Years’ War: The young clerk Max loves Agathe, the daughter of the head ranger Kuno. But in order to marry her, the inexperienced marksman Max must participate in an archaic tradition and score in a shooting trial – an unfulfillable challenge for him. The dubious war veteran Kaspar knows this. He convinces the clerk to meet him at Wolf’s Glen at midnight to forge »free bullets« that never miss their target. Max, who does not see any other way out of his unfortunate situation, sells his soul to the devil. What he does not know, though, is that while six of the cursed bullets will hit their target, the seventh is in the devil’s hands. In the meantime, his fiancé Agathe tries to find sleep in this stormy night. On the morning of their wedding day, she is overtaken by a deep sense of foreboding. Even her best friend Ännchen cannot cheer her up. When the shooting trial finally begins, Max is on his seventh bullet. He brings the gun to his shoulder, aims and pulls the trigger …
DAY 1 KONSTANZ Welcome to Lake Constance (Bodensee)

If nothing else arranged, we will welcome you at the Hotel upon your arrival. Konstanz is a university city, the largest city at the shores of the lake with a huge medieval past. Konstanz was the seat of the Diocese for more than 1200 years. In the afternoon, start a walking tour with a professional guide who will show you the main attractions of the city. Join us on this classic city tour through the historic old town, which remained undestroyed during the Second World War! Learn from our city guides the history of the Celts, Romans and Alemanni over the time as an important trading metropolis, the time of the Council Assembly, the Reformation, the affiliation to Tyrol to today's city of education (University of Excellence!), tourism and the EU's external border. Spiced with numerous anecdotes, we introduce you to the old council city on Lake Constance during this entertaining city tour. Experience the history(s) of Constance up close, find out what has been going on here in the past 5000 years, get to know the pretty girl Imperia, and your eyes open to the often-hidden treasures left by the rich heritage of the city's past. Discover the consistency of the day before yesterday, yesterday and today! After the tour free time for private activities like shopping or just to rest. At the given time, we will pick you up and take you to the Restaurant Umami in the city center. The restaurant is specialized in sushi and is one of the best in the region. There are also other specialties besides sushi if you don´t like the idea. Return to the hotel. Overnight at the Constantia Hotel 3***. (D)
DAY 2 (Wednesday, August 16) KONSTANZ – LINDAU - BREGENZ

Opera evening with May and Agathe

Breakfast at the hotel. The morning is at leisure to relax at the hotel, go in the city for a walk or shopping. In the afternoon we will offer you a Bodensee Lake Tour and a Wine Tasting. The Lake Constance region is internationally known for its wine variety. The region has been cultivating diverse grape varieties for more than 2000 years. The grape varieties Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir play a special role here. The exciting thing about the regional wines is that while they grow under the same climatic conditions as other grapes, they express their own unique flavors due to the different soils and the artistry of Lake Constance winemakers. The tour begins with a visit to Meersburg, where you visit the vineum bodensee, an interactive wine museum, where you can look forward to a rich and varied interactive exhibition: fragrance jars representing the wines from around Lake Constance, wine as a lifestyle medium, the Torkelshow presenting the historical working wine press dating back to 1607 and much more. We will continue to the Meersburg State Vineyard. The earliest historical documentation of viticulture in Meersburg dates back to 1210. Nowadays the winery cultivates Pinot Noir, Müller-Thurgau, White Burgundy, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Before we continue, we will have a wine tasting at the “State Wine Estate”. The next stop is Lindau. Upon arrival, short break to walk around and visit its small but fascinating old city, followed by dinner in a typical german restaurant. The journey continues with a special ship to Bregenz. Start your Festival evening with an aperitif on board "MS München". We will take you directly to the Festival stage and return to the lake stage after enjoying the opera. The all-round carefree package: no traffic jams on arrival and no search for a parking space, instead you can enjoy the panoramic view over Lake Constance and see the lake stage from the distance. From Lindau we will get back to Konstanz with our bus. Overnight at the Constantia Hotel 3*** or similar. (B) (D)
DAY 3 (Thursday, August 16) KONSTANZ

End of your classical music experience. Breakfast at the hotel. You can have a late breakfast today. After a very intensive journey the previous day but rich on experiences, it is time to plan your journey home or to extend your vacation in the region. Visit for instance the Salem Castle and Monastery where you can enjoy a selection of wines to taste. The tasting takes place during a guided tour through Salem Abbey’s wine cellar, monastery, dining room, cloister and church. The event includes interestng stories about Salem wine culture. We also propose a visit to the most famous castle in Germany, the Neuschwanstein Castle, built by the King Louis of Baviera and inspiration to Walt Disney for his castle at the Disneyland Parks. If needed, we will take you to the airport in Zurich. We thank you very much for your trust in GERMANIC EXPERIENCES. End of our services. (B)
(B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner