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Manfred Honeck's concerts at Wolfegg

Manfred Honeck's concerts at Wolfegg

7.12.07

Finally, other Pittsburghers have told me about experiencing the castle in Wolfegg, Germany, where future Pittsburgh Symphony music director Manfred Honeck leads the International Wolfegg Concerts in the summer. I toured the place last March and could hardly believe its splendor, especially considering how unknown it is. Since it is the private residence of the Prince and Princess Waldburg-Wolfegg, tourists can't take tours, but it opens to the public once a year for these concerts Honeck has conducted for over decade.

Two PSO board members, Benno and Connie Bernt, visited Honeck and attended the concerts late last month as part of a trip celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask Benno to give an account of their experience:

By Benno and Connie Bernt

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Castle Wolfegg is located 15 miles north of Lindau, a charming resort town on the shores of Lake Constance. This large lake (in German called Bodensee) in the southwestern corner of Germany is also bordered by Austria and Switzerland and is close to Altach, Austria, the home of Mr. Honeck and his family.

Castle Wolfegg, large and beautiful, like a palace, has a history going back to 1500. It was lucky to remain unscathed by the many wars in that area since that time, except for attacks during the 30 Year War by the troops of Swedish King Gustav Adolf, who in 1647 set fire to its upper floors. The castle is owned by the family of Prince Waldburg-Wolfegg, whose family roots go back to the 1200s. The prince, his wife Viviana and their three children live in the castle and are keeping it in top condition; they are the hosts of these concerts. The castle also houses a remarkably large art collection which the family has built up over the centuries, including, for example, some 120,000 original prints and 1,200 oil paintings.


Wolfegg Castle towers over the tiny hamlet of Wolfegg, Germany
Click photo for larger image.
Above: The Hall of Knights inside the castle, where the concerts took place.

Below: After the concert, Benno and Connie Bernt mingle with Manfred Honeck and Michaela Countess Waldburg-Wolfegg, a member of the extended family of Prince Waldburg.


Click photos for larger image.

The family had owned the map which, in 1507, for the first time called the continental landmasses in the Western Hemisphere "America," leading to "America" becoming the normal designation of these continents. The map was recently acquired from the family by the American Library of Congress; it will be featured in a forthcoming book "Putting America on the Map".

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The Wolfegg concerts take place on the top floor in the richly decorated Rittersaal (Hall of Knights), which is lined with the wooden sculptures of 24 ancestors of the family, in full armor. The acoustics of the hall are excellent.

The concert on June 23, a lively program of Mozart, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky, was sold out. The orchestra consisted mainly of younger members of other major orchestras in Austria and Germany that Mr. Honeck had assembled as the festival orchestra; he led and inspired them to perform at world-class level. The soloist was the talented violinist Chee-Yun, who had made her Pittsburgh debut in March 2007 and will be back in April 2008. The standing ovation was followed by a reception in the Prince's family quarters.

Next year, the International Wolfegg Concerts will take place from June 27 to 29.

Thanks for the report/review, Benno and Connie. By the way, Benno also mentioned that he and Connie (Constance) began celebrating their 50th anniversary with a dinner at the shore of Lake Constance. Nice touch, Benno!

First Published: July 11, 2007, 7:45 p.m.

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