Premiere in Gars – over a thousand guests celebrated “Aida”

It was the last premiere for artistic director Johannes Wildner, who, together with director Philipp Harnoncourt, brought the work to the “opera stage of the Waldviertel”. The President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka Wildner, thanked everyone for his ten years of service. And he also clarified the question raised by the artistic director, because Sobotka can be seen again and again as a conductor, who should conduct today: “I’ll leave the conducting to you, you’ve rehearsed ‘Aida’. I’m just an opera lover.”

In advance, Mayor Martin Falk had invited to the reception behind the stage and, given the wonderful summer evening, declared himself responsible for it, not Father Michael Hüttl from Altenburg Abbey or weather expert Christa Kummer, who with his husband and ORF presenter Franz Hofbauer – recently celebrated his sixties – came.

Falk thanked not only the state of Lower Austria for the valuable support, but also the sponsors, the opera association around chairman Julius Kiennast sen. and Oper Burg Gars Managing Director Bianca Erlinger, who ensured the smooth organization.

Erlinger (“Welcome to this beautiful historical ambience!”), Falk and Wildner, in addition to numerous ambassadors who visited “their” singers, included Federal Councilor Klemens Kofler, the 3rd President of the State Parliament Eva Prischl, State Councilor Susanne and Ombudsman Walter Rosenkranz, who Members of the state parliament Franz Linsbauer and Anja Scherzer, district captain Stefan Grusch, the vice-president of the state chamber of agriculture Andrea Wagner, the state director of ORF Tirol Esther Mitterstieler, vice-mayor Paula Uitz with the Garser mandataries and many mayors from the district, led by Horns city boss Gerhard Lentschig , master builder Richard Lugner with his companion “Zebra”, the artist couple Anne Bennent and Otto Lechner, Peter Coeln from the Westlicht Gallery in Vienna, Waldviertel boss Manfred Damberger, the savings bank board members Helmut Scheidl and Manfred Hofbauer, company boss Julius Kiennast jun . and many, many more.

Wildner’s special greeting was for the “Austrian taxpayers here and outside the castle and that you can collect your money yourself in the form of cards”.