Biked over today to check out the 2019 Bregenzer Festspiele stage presentation for Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto. And it was pretty spectacular. Just the head of the clown alone weighs 30 tons and the helium balloon rises during the performance. Pretty impressive.
The stage was designed by Philipp Strölzl and it “highlights the striking contrasts between spectacle and intimate chamber drama…” Strölzl has designed stages for other famous operas as well but made a name for himself directing music videos for the German metal band Rammstein. Kudos to Bregenz for bringing such an interesting designer’s perspective to the stage. The festival runs from July 17 – August 18th 2019 and then again from July 22-August 23, 2020 during which the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra and opera fans converge on Bregenz. The video clip is taken from ORF 2 and highlights some impressive performances! (Due to Covid-19 the Summer 2020 performances were cancelled. Rigoletto has been rescheduled from July 21 to August 22, 2021 depending upon the state of the pandemic).