27 April 2025  A Summer Tradition: Culture Moves to the CountrysideEvery summer, as temperatures rise in Austria's cities, theater and opera companies traditionally migrate to the more comfortable climates of the countryside. For many culture enthusiasts, combining performances with a holiday in scenic rural regions is an essential part of the season. In this spirit, a new collaboration between DDSG Blue Danube, Austria's leading Danube cruise company, and the renowned Oper Burg Gars festival, promises to enrich the 2025 summer cultural calendar.From July 12 to August 2, Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece La Traviata will be performed 13 times at Burg Gars, one of Austria's most atmospheric open-air opera venues. Passengers of DDSG Blue Danube will benefit from a 20 percent discount on opera tickets. Conversely, opera visitors can enjoy reduced fares for river cruises in Vienna and the UNESCO World Heritage region of the Wachau. Although Burg Gars is not directly accessible by ship, the collaboration creates a seamless cultural and leisure experience across Lower Austria. Burg Gars: A Thousand Years of History and MusicPerched in the idyllic Kamptal valley, Burg Gars is a castle with more than a millennium of history. Today, it hosts Austria's largest unamplified open-air opera festival, offering audiences performances under the stars amidst ancient stone walls. Since 2023, celebrated Austrian opera singer Clemens Unterreiner has served as Intendant, bringing new vision and energy to the festival. Unterreiner, a member of the Vienna State Opera since 2005, is not only a renowned baritone but also a passionate amateur boat captain — a personal connection that adds a charming layer to the partnership with DDSG Blue Danube.Unterreiner emphasized that rivers have always created connections, not only geographically but also culturally and emotionally. He noted that the Kamp River meets the Danube just as La Traviata's story unfolds along the Seine in Paris. During his private boat tours between Vienna and Gars, he often enjoys singing a few arias, underlining how music, nature, and culture harmonize to create unique experiences. Under his leadership, Oper Burg Gars has expanded with the "KulturBURG" program, offering a wide range of cultural events beyond opera, including concerts, readings, and exhibitions. In 2025, La Traviata will be staged by the acclaimed directing duo Cornelius Obonya and Carolin Pienkos, with soprano Hila Fahima and tenor Filip Filipović leading the cast. The costumes for the soloists — including Fahima as Violetta, Filipović as Alfredo Germont, and Morton Frank Larsen as Giorgio Germont — as well as for the 24-member choir are designed by Laura Madgé Hörmann, a graduate of the fashion department at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Hörmann described the costumes as a visualization of the music itself, aiming to portray the decadence of the society from which Violetta emerges with a sense of extravagance, while at the same time following the shifting moods of the music to create a kind of blurred dream world. DDSG Blue Danube: Connecting Cultures Along the RiverDDSG Blue Danube, founded in its current form in 1995 as a successor to the historic Erste Donau-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft of 1829, operates nine ships across Vienna and Lower Austria. The company's cruises reach destinations such as the Wachau Valley, approximately 80 kilometers upstream, and Bratislava, Slovakia, around 55 kilometers from Vienna. Serving more than 400,000 passengers annually, DDSG is synonymous with leisurely exploration and scenic travel along the Danube.The new partnership with Oper Burg Gars marks another step in DDSG's mission to promote cultural tourism. Passengers are encouraged to combine river cruises with operatic evenings, creating memorable experiences that highlight the beauty and diversity of Lower Austria. Tickets for La Traviata are available from €40 at operburggars.at, with discounted prices for DDSG passengers. This collaboration not only strengthens the ties between travel and culture but also showcases the interesting offerings of Austria's countryside. Image: The photo shows, from left to right, Oper Burg Gars Intendant Clemens Unterreiner, a passionate captain with a Danube license, and DDSG Blue Danube Managing Director and opera enthusiast Wolfgang Fischer. Photo: © leisure communications/Christian Jobst. |