Sonorous encounters in Immling – the festival orchestra

Cornelia von Kerssenbrock raises the baton. "Once more, please" - she breaks off again, letting the same passage play once more. Refining the perfect sound. And she uses every minute for that. The Carmen rehearsal had to be interrupted. Don Jose, who wants to sit on the stage floor next to Micaela, has ripped his pants. A replacement is quickly arranged. Final rehearsal sprint at the Immling Festival.

The orchestra has been here since early June. The basis of the festival orchestra is the "Georgian Sinfonietta", 16 musicians from Tbilisi. In addition, instrumentalists from Munich, Salzburg, and the region join in. They are all professional musicians. About ten different nations are represented in the orchestra pit.

One of them is Giorgi Kobulashvili, oboist, also from Georgia. He has been involved from the very beginning. Back then, he played in another orchestra. One of his students and later orchestra colleagues was Prof. Nikolaus Hipp. A few years later, Cornelia von Kerssenbrock was recommended to Tbilisi through him. The beginning of an intensive collaboration. The musical director of the Immling Festival regularly performs in Georgia. But now the Immling Festival is in the foreground. Three operas need to be rehearsed. Giorgi always wonders where Cornelia von Kerssenbrock gets her energy from. "She is very human, very kind, very honest. She makes music that comes from the heart."

It is this special atmosphere that Maria Anderson also appreciates. She has been involved for 20 years and is now working in orchestra management. At the beginning of February, she receives the lineup of how many musicians are needed, and then the organization begins. This year, there are really many! Because in addition to the three operas, there is also a large orchestral concert on July 26. Gustav Mahler's 1st Symphony requires a hundred instrumentalists. Cornelia von Kerssenbrock sees it as an honor and joy to conduct this work. Two giants of Romanticism will be united in one evening. Also on the program: Rachmaninoff. His Piano Concerto No. 2 and the symphonic poem "Isle of the Dead" will evoke great emotions.

The festival orchestra demonstrates its flexibility at the Spanish-Mediterranean night on July 12. In addition to the world-famous "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquin Rodrigo, there will be Spanish folklore and also the unforgettable melodies from "Alexis Zorbas."

The Immling Festival Orchestra - a very special ensemble.