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Dear friends of the Immling Festival,

If you were there in 2024, you might remember – I wrote a series of contributions about the festival that were quite well received. I am Christiane Berker, originally from Namibia, now residing in Breitbrunn by the beautiful Chiemsee since 2019, and still very connected to Immling. Last year, life happened, and unfortunately, I couldn't commit to writing for Immling. But for the 30th anniversary, I agreed to pick up the pen (or the keyboard) once more and contribute a few pieces. This time, too, it’s about my very personal impressions, reflections, and thoughts – I hope you enjoy it a little!

Do you know this too? You like opera – but it’s not part of your daily life. You know that "Tosca", "Lucia di Lammermoor", "Die Zauberflöte", and "Un Ballo in Maschera" are operas, of course, and you can also match the composers – but at the latest with "Maschera", the pronunciation might become tricky.

I feel the same way, and I stand by it! I was born and raised in Southwest Africa, today Namibia. My mother came from Fürth, my father had always lived there, and as for culture – well. There was an art association and there was an orchestra, of course all amateur, but for opera, not only were there no singers.

At the age of six (I had just learned to read), my father took my hand, sat me on the sofa in the living room, handed me a large, unwieldy "notebook", and turned on the record player, then he went outside.

"Suse, dear Suse, what rustles in the straw?"
"The geese go barefoot and have no shoes,"
"The shoemaker has leather, no last to go with it,"
"therefore he cannot make the little geese any..."

Do you recognize it? That’s how "Hänsel und Gretel" begins, my very first opera. At the age of ten, I then saw "Die Zauberflöte" on a holiday trip to my grandmother in Munich. And I lost my heart to opera. There were no videos, no DVDs, no iPhone or anything like that, no YouTube; my father imported records from Europe for a lot of money, including operas, concerts, symphonies, but also spoken theater; every Sunday at breakfast, something new was played, and classical music was part of my life.

During every vacation in Germany, there was at least one opera performance, and when I later studied in Munich, I was also able to visit the opera in Salzburg through friends. And when I moved to Germany in 2019, I had already been in contact with Maestra von Kerssenbrock for three years, so the Immling Festival became a fixed part of every summer from then on.

And now the 30th anniversary is approaching! Some may wave it off – what are 30 years? But when 30 years encompass a life's work, conceived by one man and then supported by his wife, that is indeed a significant number! I leave the statistics to others; I speak to you as a simple spectator who is just looking forward to a great program – and I would like to take you, dear fellow spectators, along with my "preparations".

What a program! I don't even know what to be most excited about first... Apart from four great operas, there is the Verdi Requiem and, almost as a counterbalance, Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the famous "Ode to Joy". Do you remember the legendary performance in East Berlin? On Christmas Day 1989, Leonard Bernstein set a musical monument to the fall of the Berlin Wall at the East Berlin Schauspielhaus. And he quickly adapted the "Ode" into "Ode to Freedom"; the symphonic musicians of the Bavarian Radio were joined by orchestral musicians from Paris, London, New York, and Leningrad – all countries of the Allied powers against Hitler's Germany were represented.

And as always in Immling, there is also a great musical, "Cats" is being offered, and I was able to take a look at the lively ensemble and the wonderful costumes at the benefit preview, so that’s another MUST. For the anniversary, Peter Breuer is also back, after his ballet "Coco Chanel", this time it’s a tribute to Michael Jackson, another must-see. And if you say to yourself, "Opera, yes please, but the modern stuff doesn’t necessarily have to be included," just remember that "Tosca", "Lucia", "Ballo", and "Die Zauberflöte" were once modern stuff and are now classics – just like "Cats" and "Moonwalk".

Moreover, the light muse is well represented, whether you want to indulge in operetta melodies or focus on the always quickly sold-out "O Sole Mio" by the wonderful tenors; even those who enjoy "Buena Vista Social Club", i.e., Cuban and Latin American rhythms, will not be disappointed this year. I hope you have kept your summer free....

I will prepare you a little – even seasoned opera connoisseurs don’t know everything – and I’m happy to share with you the little tidbits I find about the respective operas and concerts. This way, I can cover up the fact that I have never seen the masked ball with a few curiosities that hopefully will surprise all the "connoisseurs" a bit.

I look forward to seeing you again on our Immling hill; let’s contribute our part and make the festival an unforgettable experience for everyone involved – after all, we spectators benefit the most from it!

In this sense: Here’s to the new festival season with a special touch,

Yours, Christiane Berker