Highlights in the Silent Night Anniversary Year Exhibitions, Advent Events and International Productions
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Highlights in the Silent Night anniversary year Exhibitions, advent events and international productions In total, there are 13 municipalities in SalzburgerLand, Tirol and Upper Austria with a strong connection to the most famous of all Christmas songs, “Silent Night”. The museums, exhibitions and memorial sites there tell the story of the creation and the dissemination of the song and also reveal the lives and works of lyricist Joseph Mohr and composer Franz Xaver Gruber. The many great events held across the Silent Night Locations on the occasion of the song’s 200th anniversary set to pay rightful homage to the song and its creators. “Silent Night 200”: cross-provincial, decentralised national exhibition Across a total of nine Silent Night Locations and Museums in SalzburgerLand, Tirol and Upper Austria, the cross-provincial, decentralised national exhibition “200 years Silent Night! Holy Night! – Austria’s message of peace to the world” invites visitors to learn the history of the famed Christmas song from 29 September 2018 to 3 February 2019. In SalzburgerLand, the museums in Salzburg, Arnsdorf, Oberndorf, Hallein, Wagrain and Mariapfarr educate about the song and its creators, whilst a new theme trail is dedicated to the song in Hintersee. In Hochburg-Ach in Upper Austria, Franz Xaver Gruber’s birthplace, visitors can learn new and exciting things about the song’s composer. Fügen in Tirol is mainly dedicated to the international dissemination of the song, which began in the Zillertal valley. • When: 29 September 2018 until 3 February 2019 • Information: Stille Nacht 2018 GmbH | www.landesausstellung2018.at SALZBURGERLAND “My Silent Night”: a touch of Broadway at the Felsenreitschule theatre On 24 November 2018, the new musical play “My Silent Night” is set to premiere at Salzburg’s Felsenreitschule theatre. The production includes a top-notch team from the United States: The music is by the award-winning film composer and Emmy Award winner John Debney (“Ice Age”, “Sin City”, “The Passion of the Christ” and “The Jungle Book”), whilst the script was written by author, director and musician Hannah Friedman. The play is directed by Andreas Gergen, who is known for the successful productions of “The Sound of Music” or “Monty Python’s Spamalot”, among others. The Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, a large soloist ensemble with musical star Milica Jovanovic, Dominik Hees, Bettina Mönch and Pavel Fieber as well as Salzburg State Theatre’s choir and ballet will also be involved in the production. The piece will be part of the “musical play” genre; a form of the American musical theatre from the 1920s, which is marked by a serious story taking place before a historical background with references to local events and happenings. The genre’s Broadway classic is “The Sound of Music”, which was based on the true story of the von Trapp Family. A glamorous story: Though the piece begins in America, the setting quickly changes as the story progresses. Protagonist Justin leaves his family during the hectic pre-Christmas season for he feels more lonely than at home and decides to go to Salzburg: This is, after all, where Elisabeth is from, whom he had met years ago as an exchange student. But another reason for going to Salzburg was so that he could finally practice his talent and passion for music. How will the story end? John Debney’s musical means real emotions and great entertainment. • Premiere: 24 November 2018 • Additional shows: 29 November to 18 December 2018 • Tickets & information: Salzburg State Theatre | T +43 662 871512222 | www.meinestillenacht.at “Silent Mouse and Silent Night — a song and its history” in Wagrain-Kleinarl This folk play will include both actors and puppets and will be held at two different locations: Wagrain, Joseph Mohr’s home for many years, as well as Salzburg, as the protagonist’s place of birth. The production by the Salzburg State Theatre recounts stories and events from the point of view of young Joseph Mohr and also engages with the time and place in which the poem would eventually become the famous song. • Premiere: 9 November 2018, 17:00 — gymnasium at Joseph Mohr Schule in Wagrain • Additional dates: 02/09/16/23 December 2018 in Wagrain o 30 November & 08/15/22 December 2018 at Kammerspiele Salzburg o Tickets & information: www.salzburger-landestheater.at, www.wagrain-kleinarl.at “Silent Night” — the Salzburg Advent Festival at the Grosses Festspielhaus Between 30 November and 16 December 2018, the famous Salzburg Advent Festival is set to take place once again at the Grosses Festspielhaus. With more than 150 participants — singers, actors, musicians as well as the little shepherds — the Salzburg Advent Festival is well known even outside of SalzburgerLand. This year, the festival is taking place under the title “Salzburg Anniversary Advent Singing 2018 — Silent Night” and will explore the advent story within the socio-cultural context of Oberndorf in the year 1818, paying tribute to the two creators of the song. • Premiere: 30 November 2018 • Additional shows: 1 December until 16 December 2018 • Tickets & information: Salzburger Heimatwerk | T +43 662 843182 | www.salzburgeradventsingen.at Anniversary weekend „200 years Silent Night! Holy Night! at Mariapfarr, Lungau From 7 to 9 December 2018 Mariapfarr, Lungau celebrates the anniversary weekend with a lovingly Christmas market on 8 and 9 December, a book presentation of the Silent-Night- detective novel from Manfred Baumann on 7 December, the “Joseph Mohr Singing” on 8 December and the first nationwide Christmas pilgrimage from the church Althofen to the Pilgrimage Church and Silent Night Basilica on 9 December. • When: 7 to 9 December 2018 • Information: Tourist Office Mariapfarr | T +43 6473 8766 | www.mariapfarr.at TIROL “Silent Night”: musical evenings at the SteudlTENN and the Festhalle Fügen The SteudlTENN is a 700-year-old barn in Uderns in the Zillertal valley, which today hosts a number of theatre performances and events. In the Silent Night anniversary year, the SteudlTENN is putting on two musical theatre pieces by Hakon Hirzenberger on several dates throughout July and December 2018: “The Silent Nights of Ludwig Rainer” and “Mauracher and Mohr”. Visitors can expect an evening of musical theatre featuring previously unreleased versions of “Silent Night”. • Dates for “Mauracher and Mohr”: 14 to 16 December 2018 at the Festhalle Fügen • Tickets & information: SteudlTENN | T +43 650 2727054 | www.steudltenn.com UPPER AUSTRIA “Christmas Singing”: special exhibition at the Schlossmuseum Linz The special exhibition “Christmas Singing”, held at the Schlossmuseum Linz between 1 December 2018 and 2 February 2019, will be dedicated to not only one but two Christmas songs, as well as to the Upper Austrian Christmas singing tradition as a whole. On the occasion of 200 Years “Silent Night” and 135 Years “Es wird scho glei dumpa”, the exhibition showcases the connections between Upper Austria and the two internationally beloved songs. Several other and lesser-known Upper Austrian Christmas and nativity songs will also be presented. Newly recorded musical examples complement the primarily archival exhibition and will help Upper Austria’s singing tradition come alive. • Date: 1 December 2018 until 2 February 2019 • Information: Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum | T +43 732 772052200 | www.landesmuseum.at ADDITIONAL EVENTS & HIGHLIGHTS IN THE 3 SILENT NIGHT LOCATIONS Date Event 26 November 2017 - Felix Gruber – grandchild, musician, Silent Night researcher at the Silent 31 October 2018 Night Museum Arnsdorf. Special exhibition with furniture of the Gruber family. 24 August 2018 International peace concert of the music band Oberndorf. With handing over of the Silent-Night-Picture at the square Stille-Nacht-Platz. 22 September 2018 „Music from Gruber“ – theater play with Heimo Thiel about the life journey at 16:00 from Franx Xaver Gruber. At the TheaterObjekt Hallein. 29 September 2018 Reopening of the Silent Night Museum in Hallein. It documents the entire creation of the Christmas song and displays Joseph Mohr’s guitar and furniture and decorative elements from Gruber’s old apartment, as well as various autographs and Gruber’s document clarifying the song’s authorship. 29 September 2018 Reopening of the Pilgrimage- and Silent Night Museum at Mariapfarr according to the national exhibition. 9 October 2018 “200 years Silent Night – Franz Xaver Gruber and the time in which he lived” Hans Schwarzmayr, curator of the Franz-Xaver-Gruber-memorial house at Hochburg-Ach, lectures about the composer and the time in which he lived. 30 September 2018 Open House at the Silent Night Museum Wagrain according to the national exhibition. 30 September 2018 Open House at Salzburg Museum according to the national exhibition “Silent Night 200 – History. Message. Present.” Guided tours every 30 minutes and program for children offered. 11 October 2018 Guided tours on Thursday at Salzburg Museum. Free guided tour and reduced museum entrance for the national exhibition “Silent Night 200 – History. Message. Present.” 13 October 2018 Concert music connects at Salzburg Museum. Singing together with the Choral Association Salzburg according to the national exhibition. Workshop “Silent Night – made colourful” at Salzburg Museum. With program for children (from 6 years) every 2nd Saturday per month/ parallel guided tour for adults through the national exhibition. 14 October 2018 Opening International Peace Path from Arnsdorf to Oberndorf. 14 October - "How was that then, teacher?" A lesson like in further times at the Silent 21 December 2018 Night Museum Arnsdorf. At different appointments from October to December 2018. Appropriate for children in the age of primary school, with costumes and a snack. 25 October 2018 Guided tours on Thursday at Salzburg Museum. Free guided tour and reduced museum entrance for the national exhibition “Silent Night 200 – History. Message. Present.” 28 October 2018 Music for young people: playing the pipe at Domchorsaal Salzburg. 30 and 31 October The immoral song – Silent Night in Film at Salzburg Museum.