Since May 11, around 42,000 guests have flocked to 65 concerts in 25 venues in Dresden. Despite a late start to the ticket pre-sales and the decision to open venues to full capacity at short notice, seat utilization reached 85 percent. The success of the Dresden Music Festival is also reflected in ticket revenue, which amounted to near 1,4 million Euros.
The artists were visibly impressed by the magic of live encounters with their audience: »A hall as full as this one, is by no means a given right now, « Martin Grubinger reflected after his concert in the Kulturpalast. With Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and a seldom-played Choral Fantasy, the Dresden Festival Orchestra under David Robertson together with the Dresdner Kammerchor and international soloists closed the 45th season and, once again, sent a message from Dresden into the world that unites people.

»This year’s intense, highly emotional concert experiences have particularly moved the artists, guests, and me personally. I would like to extend my warmest gratitude to the City of Dresden, the Free State of Saxony, and all our sponsors for their support, « says Jan Vogler, director of the Dresden Music Festival.

Some of the highlights of the 45th Dresden Music Festival include celebrated guest performances by the Filharmonica della Scala under Riccardo Chailly, the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Thomas Adés, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Sir Simon Rattle, the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer, the hr Sinfonic under Paavo Järvi and the Vienna Philharmonic under Andris Nelsons, as well as the two concerts with Jamie Cullum and the performance of Angélique Kidjo and Alexandre Tharaud. Once again, the format »Cellomania 2.0« drew audiences to the concert halls. In the first half of the festival, around 40 internationally renowned cello soloists participated in the festival within a festival, with 19 concerts and a star-studded flash mob in the heart of Dresden. In an extremely engaging five and a half hour-long concert marathon, they ultimately focused on the versatility of their instrument in the »Long Night of the Cello« at the Kulturpalast. The three-part program of the »Long Night« is available to stream free of charge on Arte Concert.

Because of the massive success, Jan Vogler and his music festival team extended the current season to include a top-class »September Festival,« that will bring together not one but three exceptional American orchestras to Dresden. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck and with Hélène Grimaud as soloist (September 1) will kick off, before violinist Lisa Batiashvili and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin (September 2) will perform on the following evening. Finally, the Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst (September 4) will close the extended season. Tickets are available from June 13, 2022 at all of the recognized ticket offices.

The 46th Dresden Music Festival takes place from May 18 to June 18, 2023.

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