Despite unfavorable weather, some 12,000 loyal fans attended the popular Classics Open Air Weekend in the Klenzepark. On the French national holiday, this large-scale event, which has been held since 2009, Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique provided the resounding final chords of the two-week music festival, which brought world-famous musicians to Ingolstadt under the motto “Fantastique!”, putting the spotlight on French musical culture.
Lisa Batiashvili, the artistic director of the festival, was able to attract such renowned artists as Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Nino Machaidze, Gautier Capuçon, Paavo Järvi, the Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and the wind soloists Les Vents Français to Ingolstadt. In two concerts, the internationally celebrated violinist Batiashvili took to the stage herself. “It’s my personal aim for the next couple of years to make this festival more international and more exposed, but also to get more awareness from people around the world,” said Lisa Batiashvili, summing up her motivation for the festival.
For her musical achievements, the lord mayor of the City of Ingolstadt, Dr Christian Lösel, honored the artist by entering her name into the Golden Book of Ingolstadt. “Lisa Batiashvili not only accomplishes outstanding work for the Audi Summer Concerts, which have become an indispensable contribution to the cultural life of the city. With her personal connection to Ingolstadt, she is also an international ambassador for our city,” said the mayor at the official ceremony in the historic city hall on Sunday evening.
This year’s Audi Summer Concerts showed new perspectives for classical music in Ingolstadt with concerts in unusual venues such as the special exhibition space in the Audi museum mobile and the hall for employee assemblies at Audi. The sold-out opening event, Fantasia – Disney live in concert, and the popular living-room concerts and discussions with artists confirmed the new direction that the festival took in making classical music accessible and personal.
For information on the Audi Summer Concerts, please see www.sommerkonzerte.de
Media material and a program for downloading are available at:
www.audi-mediacenter.com/de/sommerkonzerte-293