After the great success of his debut production “The Love Potion”, artistic director Clemens Unterreiner will be serving Verdi’s opera hit “La Traviata” from July 12, 2025. In the special ambience of the French Embassy in Vienna, Unterreiner introduced the leading team and cast of the opera as well as the comprehensive supporting program KulturBURG 2025 – with highlights such as the Vienna Choir Girls (Vienna Boys’ Choir), the Janoska Ensemble, Angelika Kirchschlager, Alfred Dorfer and Sky du Mont. Under the motto “Never Change a Winning Team”, Unterreiner managed to attract the star directing duo Carolin Pienkos & Cornelius Obonya and Maestro Levente Török for their second joint opera production on the Waldviertel opera stage.
“The French Embassy with its unique atmosphere perfectly reflects the flair of the opera set in 19th century Paris. We are incredibly grateful to be able to present our top-class annual program for 2025 and in particular all the details about Garser ‘La Traviata’ at this special location.”
Unterreiner began by thanking the host, the designated ambassador Matthieu Peyraud, who officially opened the game plan presentation. Unterreiner then gave an insight into the upcoming second year of his directorship in Gars.
Unterreiner relies on “Garser style” and continuity
“With Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’, we are bringing one of the most famous operas of all time, gripping and full of great emotions, to the stage in 2025 – in a traditional, slightly shortened version that is guaranteed to touch all the senses.”enthuses Unterreiner and continues: “Together with the entire team, the new ‘Garser style’ was established with great public success in the first year. This ‘Gars style’ stands for: PURE entertainment – timelessly exciting without being old-fashioned, at the highest musical and singing level – with crowd-pleasing productions that delight both opera newcomers and die-hard fans, embedded in the historic walls and the unique natural acoustics the largest unamplified opera festival in Austria. With this in mind, in 2025 I will once again be relying on the proven successful team – the directing duo Carolin Pienkos & Cornelius Obonya, maestro Levente Török and costume designer Laura Hörmann. I am happy that they will now conjure up ‘La Traviata’ on our opera stage. PURE Verdi!”
They are also full of anticipation Carolin Pienkos and Cornelius Obonya: “We are looking forward to our first Verdi. His operas are in many ways an expression of what we would like to see ourselves on an opera stage. A story. An adventure. A seduction. Let’s hope that we can succeed in seducing you – in a wonderful location, the BURG GARS opera house, with a team that was at our side last year and whose expertise we are very much looking forward to again! Let’s OPERA!”
Unterreiner sings himself
When it comes to the cast of Verdi’s “La Traviata”, Unterreiner’s quality standards are fully reflected at first glance: in the leading role Violetta Valery Opera fans can look forward to the internationally celebrated soprano Hila Fahima be happy. At her side will be the up-and-coming Croatian tenor Filip Filipović as passionate Alfredo Germont make his Austria debut. The Danish baritone KS Morten Frank Larsen could for the game of Giorgio Germont be won. He will interpret this game between July 12th and 26th, for the last three evenings of performances Clemens Unterreiner slip into this role yourself. Unterreiner says: “The audience’s desire to see me in an operatic role in Gars was so great that of course I didn’t want to turn myself away from it. However, I am still committed to the serious separation between directorship and active artistic activity – at the premiere I will therefore be there as director for my audience and stand backstage behind my ensemble, but on three selected evenings I will let my voice be heard myself.
The opera’s other roles also offer the highest international quality: Flaka Goranci (Flora Bervoix), Andjela Spaic (Annina), George Kounoupias (Gaston), Nicolas Legoux (Baron Douphol), Philipp Schöllhorn (Marquis d’Obigny) and Evgeny Solodovnikov (Doctor Grenville) all represent successful artistic personalities with unmistakable top voices and great stage presence.
KulturBURG supporting program brings leading cultural figures to Gars
After the successful launch of Unterreiner’s newly created KulturBURG format last year, Gars is turning heads with a seasonal program full of cultural highlights. The KulturBURG offers a diverse and top-class additional program in addition to the opera and ranges from vernissages of the new KunstBURG to matinées and musical readings to song evenings, concerts and spectacular open-air events. Between April and September, the 2025 program brings national and international personalities from art and culture to Gars Castle – including the audience favorites KS Angelika Kirchschlager and Alfred Dorferdie Viennese choir girls – the girls’ choir of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, author and film star Sky From Mountthe musical great Maya Hakvoortthe opera stars Günther Groissböck and Elena Maximovaactor, director and writer Michael Schottenbergthe Austrian pop stars Caesar Sampson and Julian le Playviolin virtuoso Yury RevichORF III-Moderator Karl Hohenlohe or that Janoska Ensemble. Also Clemens Unterreiner himself will be seen live as a singer on several evenings. At the start of the season on April 26th, the director, together with the art collector and patron Werner Trenker, invites you to an exclusive vernissage with inspiring works of art by the renowned artist Charlotte Klobassa a. “Look forward to an exciting and varied season that celebrates culture in all its facets”Unterreiner sums up the season’s program and points to a particular highlight: “On August 9, 2025, we will present our big summer open-air spectacle STARS IN GARS, where top-class artists from opera, operetta, pop and musicals will serve up the most beautiful arias, the most rousing duets and the most famous songs.”
At the end of the press conference, Unterreiner personally raised his voice and sang an aria from next year’s program. Afterwards, the “opera wine” from the BURG GARS opera was toasted at the French Embassy. The guests enjoyed this – including Ambassador Matthieu Peyraud, ORF III managing director Katrin Zierhut-Kunz, mayor of the market town of Gars am Kamp Martin Falk, the artists Cornelius Obonya, Carolin Pienkos, Hila Fahima, Michael Schottenberg, Maya Hakvoort, Cesár Sampson, Maria Nazarova as well as art collectors Werner Trenker, Gery Keszler, Marika Lichter, PR lady Elisabeth Himmer-Hirnigl, former federal minister Maria Rauch Kallat and charity lady Martina Fasslabend and many others – a selection of culinary delicacies from the Sole restaurant.
CARDS: in the web shop www.operburggars.atby email to office@operburggars.at or phone: 02985/33000.