Also: Dvořák from Styriarte, “zeit.geschichte” focus “The Price of War”, 65th birthday of Tobias Moretti and much more – from July 8th to 14th
Vienna (OTS) – “ORF III Cabaret Summer” with, among other things, “Cabaret Stars Under the Stars” in Güssing
On Monday, July 8th, ORF III will present glamorous cabaret from Burgenland with “Cabaret Stars Under the Stars: Andreas Vitásek & Friends” (8:15 p.m.). In front of the beautiful backdrop of Güssing Castle, artistic director Andreas Vitásek welcomes some of the biggest Austrian cabaret stars at the opening gala of the “Kultur Sommer Güssing”:
Thomas Stipsits, Lukas Resetarits, Eva Maria Marold and Christof Spörk set off a top-class fireworks display. Another surprise guest, Viktor Gernot, ensures an appearance that will not be forgotten in a hurry. The evening will be rounded off musically by the band “Die Doppeldecker”. This is followed by two editions of “Everyday Stories” with the documentarian Elizabeth T. Spira, who died in 2019: “Vienna – Am Belt” (9:35 p.m.) and “Markthalle Wien-Mitte” (10:20 p.m.). The humor continues on Sunday, July 14th, with Gery Seidl, who will present his programs “Congratulations!” (10:15 p.m.) and “Please. Thank you” (11:20 p.m.) guarantees a hearty laugh.
“ORF III Cultural Tuesday” with, among other things, “Vienna’s Hidden Palaces”
In “Erbe Österreich” on “Culture Tuesday”, July 9th, Karl Hohenlohe takes a look behind the facades into “Vienna’s hidden palaces”. At 8:15 p.m. he first gets to the bottom of the secrets of the Erzherzog Wilhelm Palace on Parkring, the Rasumofsky Palace and the French Embassy on Vienna’s Schwarzenbergplatz and then at 9:05 p.m. he turns his attention to the Trautson, Dietrichstein and Metternich Palaces, all of which are now official residences. Afterwards there will be “Stories from the Danube with Elfi Eschke” (9.55 p.m.) and “Stories from sweet Austria – with Mirjam Weichselbraun” (10.45 p.m.).
“ORF III Cultural Summer”: “Aida” live, time-shifted from the St. Margarethen quarry
On Wednesday, July 10th, a highlight of the “ORF III Cultural Summer” is on the program: Giuseppe Verdi’s opera classic “Aida” live, time-shifted from the St. Margarethen quarry (9:05 p.m.). The title role is sung by American soprano Leah Crocetto. The Venezuelan-born tenor Jorge Puerta takes on the role of Radames and the American mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis is Amneris. Iván López-Reynoso takes over the musical direction. As in previous years, the Piedra Festival Orchestra will perform as a resident orchestra, together with the Philharmonia Choir Vienna. Thaddeus Strassberger is responsible for the opulent production and Giuseppe Palella for the costumes – both of them already worked on “Turandot” at the Opera im Steinbruch in 2021. This year, the audience in the quarry can look forward to a huge sarcophagus on stage as well as fire and, for the first time, water elements. The work magnificently combines personal tragedies and individual fates in times of war, which take place in the background of opulent processions and triumphal scenes. To get you in the mood, there will be a “Culture Today Special” with Peter Fässlacher from the St. Margarethen Opera (7.40 p.m.). Director Daniel Serafin and director Thaddeus Strassberger have their say. The waiting time for the highlight is further shortened by “Home Austria” with the “Alpine life around Hochkar” (8.15 p.m.).
“From the New World” – Dvořák from Styriarte
On Friday, July 12th, “erlebnis Bühne” will present the production “From the New World – Dvořák von der Styriarte” (9 p.m.), which was created as part of the “ORF Steiermark Klangwolke”. What Antonín Dvořák presented to the New York audience as his Ninth Symphony “rocked” not only the venerable Carnegie Hall, but soon also the entire world. A “new world” of rhythms, colors and emotions, made for young musicians. Mei-Ann Chen, the American with the sixth sense of impact, makes the Helmut List Halle shake with the Styriarte Youth Orchestra. As part of this Styria focus, ORF III is showing the “Heimat Österreich” documentary about the “Styrian Alpine summer in the Lipizzaner homeland” (8.15 p.m.).
ORF III congratulates Tobias Moretti on his 65th birthday
On the occasion of Tobias Moretti’s 65th birthday on July 11th, ORF III is showing numerous television classics from one of the country’s most versatile actors this weekend. It starts on Friday, July 12th, with a colorful mix of his work “From the Archive” (10:20 p.m.) and numerous highlights. This is followed by “The Austrian Film” with “Murder on a Recipe” (11:25 p.m.) and “Everyman” (1:00 a.m.) with Moretti in the prestigious title role. On Sunday, July 14th, the television crime drama “A Dog Came into the Kitchen” (12.10 p.m.) with, among others, Tobias Moretti as the cook and Karl Merkatz as Inspector Ludwig is on the program, followed by “Beloved Johann Beloved Anna” (1.40 p.m ) with the touching love story about Archduke Johann and the middle-class Anna Plochl, in which the celebrant embodies the famous Habsburg.
World Wars, Vietnam, Iraq – “The Price of War” in “zeit.geschichte”
With the series “The Price of War”, ORF III is dedicating the “zeit.geschichte” evening on Saturday, July 13th, in four parts to major military conflicts and their effects, starting with the “First World War” (8:15 p.m.). 20 years later, the world is plunged into a new catastrophe: 50 to 60 million civilians and around 25 million soldiers die in the “Second World War” (9:10 p.m.). On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, Great Britain and France then declared war on Germany. A global mass extinction follows. This war cost four trillion dollars in value at the time, almost six times more than the First World War. The Cold War heats up in 1964 in “Vietnam” (10:05 p.m.). After the so-called Tonkin Incident, America intervened directly in the conflict between North and South Vietnam, which has been going on since 1956; There are two to five million Vietnamese war victims. Then it’s about the wars in “Iraq” (11 p.m.), which are among the most expensive of the 20th century.
“Classical under the stars with Elīna Garanča” on Sunday
When chamber singer Elīna Garanča performs in Göttweig Abbey, it means the ultimate musical enjoyment in the open air. Together with Serena Sáenz and Iván Ayón Rivas she inspires the audience. In 2024, Elīna Garanča and Serena Sáenz shone together in the much-celebrated performance at the Vienna Opera Ball. On Sunday, July 14th, ORF III will show “Classical Music under the Stars with Elīna Garanča” (8:15 p.m.) from Göttweig – with highlights from Garanča’s repertoire, a homage to Maria Callas and a personal musical world premiere by the mezzo star. Already on Friday (July 12th, 7:40 p.m.) Patrick Zwerger-Holder invites Garanča as well as the soprano Serena Sáenz and the winner of this year’s Future Voices competition, Clemens Alexander Frank, to talk in “Culture Today Special”.
Further special editions of “Kultur Today” are dedicated to other highlights of the “Culture Summer”: In the issue of the “Carinthian Summer & Comedy Games Porcia” (Monday, July 8th, 7:40 p.m.), moderator Patrick Zwerger-Holder looks at the highlights of the two festivals and welcomes Nadja Kayali, the director of the Carinthian Summer, and Angelika Ladurner from the Porcia comedy games for an interview. On Thursday, July 11th, at 7:40 p.m., Patrick Zwerger-Holder from the Mörbisch Seefestspiele will speak to director Alfons Haider, leading actress Anna Rosa Döller and leading actor Mark Seibert.
Further details about the ORF III Culture and Information program are available at tv.ORF.at/orf3.