Bright start to the Klassik:Sommer 2025 in Bad Hofgastein (press release from 25.05.2025)

Piano art with young and established talent

On Friday, May 23, 2025, the Philharmonie Salzburg opened the Klassik:Sommer in Bad Hofgastein for the eighth time as "orchestra in residence" with an extraordinary and moving concert experience. Around 400 guests experienced a top-class opening concert in the acoustically brilliant Kursaal, which offered classical masterpieces by Mozart and Beethoven as well as a glimpse into the musical future.

Under the enthusiastic direction of Elisabeth Fuchs , the orchestra presented a program that captivated the audience and aroused their curiosity at the same time: Mozart's lively Haffner Symphony made a festive start, followed by the first movement of his 12th Piano Concerto. The 7-year-old Hemma Bach, who not only amazed the audience as a pianist but also as a composer, delighted the audience at the keys: a 10-minute excerpt from her imaginative, charming ballet "Prinzessin Dreckfuß" was premiered by the Philharmonie Salzburg. In 7 movements, a range from morning mood, princess dance and melancholy to a sonorous finale could be heard; this was honored with standing ovations from the astonished audience.

The evening came to a crowning conclusion with Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto. The soloist was the young Mozarteum graduate and concert pianist Emese Wilhelmy, who gave a powerful and nuanced performance of the work and impressed with her technical brilliance. The second movement, the Largo, was particularly profound and touching, in which a finely tuned dialog unfolded between the soloist and the orchestra. Wilhelmy's playing was characterized by great tonal maturity. She presented the third movement with great virtuosity and dancing lightness, which was followed by the first movement of Beethoven's famous Moonlight Sonata as an encore. The audience thanked the musicians with prolonged applause. The packed Kursaal Bad Hofgastein became the setting for a musical evening that impressively combined tradition and the future.

Until October 15, almost 70 concerts will take place in Bad Hofgastein as part of the Classic:Summer - including Wald:Klassik, Park:Klassik, Familien:Klassik, Kammer:Konzerte and Berg:Klassik on Fri. 18 July 2025. This highlight features a symphonic concert with Dvořák's 9th Symphony, Elgar's Cello Concerto and Smetana's Moldau at over 2000m above sea level.

Further information:
https://www.philharmoniesalzburg.at/konzerte/konzerte-im-gasteiner-tal-uebersicht/?portfolioCats=21