Vilabertran, committed to Schubert since 1993

On the initiative of Jordi Roch, the first Vilabertran Schubertiad took place on August 25, 1993. It featured Brigitte Fassbaender and Wolfan Rieger in a performance of Schubert’s Winterreise in the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria.

Since then, many great singers and players have come to this little town in the Alt Empordà to perform works by the Austrian genius.

More recent editions have involved nearby villages, with concerts and activities now taking place in Vilabertran, Castelló d'Empúries, and Vilajüiga. This year, there will be 23 concerts: 18 in Vilabertran, one in Castelló d'Empúries, and three morning concerts in Vilajüiga.

Between August 11 and 28, this year’s festival will feature such greats as Christoph Prégardien, Juliane Banse, Marlis Peterson, and Matthias Goerne, while established pianists such as Daniel Heide, Francisco Poyato, Wolfram RIeger and Julius Drake will also delight the audience, together with young talents from the International Lied Course organized by the Franz Schubert Association,

Foto: Schubertíada de Vilabertran

Four things you probably didn't know about the Vilabertran Schubertiad 

1. The term Schubertiada was the name given to the gatherings held by Franz Schubert and his friends. Today it refers to any event that celebrates the music of Franz Schubert. The aim of the first Schubertiad, which took place in Hohenems in Austria in 1976, was to place the music of Franz Schubert on the same level as that of Mozart and Beethoven. Since then, there have been some 80 Schubertiads held around the world.
2. There are two clear examples of the international fame of the Vilabertran Schubertiad: On one occasion, the baritone Andrè Schuen was forced to bring forward his concert at the Lucerne Festival Orchestra by one day because he had already committed those dates to the Vilabertran event. On another occasion, the baritone Martin Kränzle requested an invitation to sing from the festival organizers.   
   

   Foto: Schubertíada de Vilabertran

3. International Lied Course: Since 1994. the Franz Schubert Association has been organizing the “Lied the Future” course, which supports new emerging talents in chamber music and lyrical music. And since 2018, the Schubertiad Lied the Future Academy uses the platform provided by the Vilabertran Schubertiad to provide an international platform for its young and talented musicians.
4. Chamber music: The Vilabertran Collegiate church offers excellent acoustics in an intimate setting. The medieval buildings will host classical music during the summer nights on the Costa Brava, creating an unforgettable experience for those who attend. This year, the festival will feature the Cosmos Quartet, while, as usual, the Quartet Casals will conclude the festival.

Foto: Schubertíada de Vilabertran

Not even the founder of the festival, Jordi Roch, to whom one concert will be dedicated this year, could have imagined that the festival held in the little Alt Empordà town would become one of the most famous in southern Europe. The outstandingly organized Schubertiad festival has succeeded in gaining the loyalty of concert-goers and internationally-renowned artists alike.