Giuseppe Mengoli will conduct the upcoming orchestra concert, stepping in for Omer Meir Wellber, who is unable to appear due to illness. Just a few days ago, Mengoli won the prestigious Mahler Competition, marking him as one of the most exciting new stars on the international conducting scene. He has collaborated with renowned maestros such as Daniel Barenboim, Christoph König, and Lorenzo Viotti. An accomplished violinist with several awards to his name, Mengoli also studied composition, percussion, and trumpet.
Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 92 G major (Oxford), Hob.1:92
Johannes Brahms Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn B-major, op.56a
Richard Strauss A Hero’s Life. Tone poem for large orchestra E-Flat major, op. 40
Dirigent Giuseppe Mengoli
DATE 24 July 2025
DURATION approx. 2 hours (with intermission)
About
Dirk Kaftan
“I have two handicaps – those of sex and race”. It was never easy for Florence Price, but when she won a composing competition, her life took a sudden turn: In 1933, her first symphony was premiered by a major US orchestra – a milestone in the history of Afro-American female composers. Charles Ives also suffered the fate of being ignored for a long time. Central Park in the Dark (1909), a classic example of his experimental composing style, only premiered in 1946. Richard Strauss, on the other hand, did not have this problem. His works have always been played – among them his posthumously premiered Four Last Songs. Soprano Marlis Petersen re-joins Bregenz Festival for this concert after being celebrated for her song recital last season.
Charles Ives Central Park in the Dark
Richard Strauss Four last songs
Florence Price Symphny No.1 E minor
Conductor Dirk Kaftan
Soprano Marlis Petersen
DATE 30 July 2025
DURATION approx. 2 hours (with intermission)
About
Marie Jacquot
In 1900, Jean Sibelius completed his first symphony which made him the most noted symphonic composer of Finland. In the words of the German music critic Ferdinand Pfohl it is a powerful, passionate and unexpectedly bold piece. Meanwhile, Maurice Ravel draws upon the past with his Valses nobles et sentimentales and brings back Vienna’s boppy Waltzes. Grażyna Bacewicz, who was a figurehead of the advance of Polish music, mixes traditional and modern music in her third violin concert. The audience can look forward to the Austrian violinist Benjamin Schmid, a regular with the Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg.
Maurice Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales
Grażyna Bacewicz Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 3
Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 1 E minor op. 39
Conductor Marie Jacquot
Violin Benjamin Schmid
DATE 7 August 2025
DURATION approx. 2 hours (with intermission)
INTRODUCTORY TALK 45 minutes before the performance starts
