Festspiele Balver Höhle is an arts festival, featuring musical and theatrical performances, in Balve

Balve

Balve is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in Hönnetal, a narrow valley created by the river Hönne, which is near the Sorpesee, formerly part of Balve, and at the north end of the Sauerland, near Dortmund...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. The festival is centered around the cave of Balve (Balver Höhle

Balver Höhle

The Balve Cave is the biggest cultural cave in Europe. It is located in Balve, Germany.-History:The Balve Cave was mentioned in the Thidrekssaga. Since 160 years the annual Schützenfest is a part of the culture. In 1985 the Festspiele Balver Höhle were founded with the mystery play Katharina von...

 in German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

). The Verein

Verein

Verein is a German word, sometimes translated as union. See:* Eingetragener Verein — a registered voluntary association under German or Austrian law;*Förderverein...

 was founded in 1985 in Volkringhausen and based on an idea by Franz Hoffmeister

Franz Hoffmeister

Franz Hoffmeister was a Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Sauerländer Heimatbund and Festspiele Balver Höhle.-Vita:He was consecrated to a Roman Catholic priest by bishop Hähling von Lanzenauer in 1924....

 and Theodor Pröpper

Theodor Pröpper

Theodor Pröpper was a German church organist and composer. Pröpper was born in Balve and spent most of his career there as an organist at Saint Blasius church.-Career:...

.

Balver Märchenwochen

The most successful adaption was Pippi in Taka-Tuka-Land in the year 2001. In 2009 they did a piece called "Der kleine Muck".

Justus Frantz

The German musical director and pianist Justus Frantz

Justus Frantz

Justus Frantz is a German pianist, conductor, and television personality.- Life :...

 was invited by the Festspiele Balver Höhle from 1995 - 2007 each year. In the early years it was a cooperation with the Kreishandwerkerschaft (See also: Trade (profession)) Märkischer Kreis

Märkischer Kreis

The Märkischer Kreis is a district in central North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Unna, Soest, Hochsauerland, Olpe, Oberbergischer Kreis, Ennepe-Ruhr, and the city of Hagen.-History:...

.

He conducted a soulful version of Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony

Symphony No. 5 (Tchaikovsky)

The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Hall of Nobility on November 6 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. It is dedicated to Theodore Avé-Lallemant.-Structure:A typical...

 with the Philharmonie der Nationen.

Festivals

• Balver Märchenwochen (1991 - 2008)

Directors: Gabriele Krieger, Josef Bertsch

• Irish Folk & Celtic Music
  Irish Folk & Celtic Music
  The Irish Folk & Celtic Music is a festival in the Balver Höhle. The director is Sean Reeves and Stephan Haarmann. It was founded in 2002 and is based on an idea by former member Roland Krahl.-2005:Directors: Roland Krahl, Stephan Haarmann...
  
   (2002 - 2008)

Directors: Sean Reeves, Stephan Haarmann

• Internationales Jazz- und Bluesfestival (1970 - 2005)

Directors: Frank Milewski, Bernd Bobbenkamp (2005)

Single music acts

• Rustavi
  Rustavi
  Rustavi is a city in the southeast of Georgia, in the province of Kvemo Kartli, situated southeast of the capital Tbilisi. It stands on the Mtkvari River at...
  
   ensemble (1988)
• Carmina Burana
  Carmina Burana
  Carmina Burana , Latin for "Songs from Beuern" , is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces were written principally in Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German, and some with traces...
  
   (1994)
• Klangräume (1996)

Idea and production by Joachim-Ernst Berendt

Joachim-Ernst Berendt

Joachim-Ernst Berendt was a German music journalist, book author and producer specialized on Jazz.-Life:...

.

• Earth Spirit (1997)

Director: Christian Bollmann. With Oberton-Chor Düsseldorf.

• Tu es Petrus
  Theodor Pröpper
  Theodor Pröpper was a German church organist and composer. Pröpper was born in Balve and spent most of his career there as an organist at Saint Blasius church.-Career:...
  
   (1997)

Played by Märkisches Jugendsinfonieorchester and sung by Oratorienchor Letmathe.

• Om mani padme hum (2001)

Director: Christian Bollmann. With David Ianni.

• Aida (2004)

Director: ?. Production: Loreley Klassik

• Philharmonic Orchestra Hagen (2002)

Director: Antony Hermus

• Scala & Kolacny Brothers
  Scala & Kolacny Brothers
  Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a Belgian women's choir, conducted by Stijn Kolacny and arranged and accompanied by Steven Kolacny on the piano. Formed in 1996 and winning the Belgian 'Choir of the Year'-contest in 2000, they have made five studio albums, starting with On The Rocks in 2002.Most songs...
  
   (2005)

Single theatre acts

• Katharina von Georgien
  Katharina von Georgien
  Katharina von Georgien is a drama written by baroque writer Andreas Gryphius. It was published in 1657.-Main characters:* Ketewan, queen of Georgia* Shah Abbas, shah of Persia* Iman Culi* Seinel Can* Salome...
  
   (1985 - 1986)

Director: Hermann Wedekind. With Werner Traud (Shah Abbas).

• The Crucible
  The Crucible
  The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
  
   (1987)

Director: Werner Traud. Performed by VHS-Theatergruppe Iserlohn.

• Peer Gynt
  Peer Gynt
  Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
  
   (1990)

Director: Hermann Wedekind. Performed by Theaterwerkstatt Melchiorsgrund and a georgian orchestra.

• The Caucasian Chalk Circle
  The Caucasian Chalk Circle
  The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents....
  
   (1993)

Director: Hermann Wedekind. Performed by Theaterwerkstatt Melchiorsgrund and georgian singers.

• Das große Welttheater (1995)

Director: Hermann Wedekind. Georgian children ensemble.

• Iphigenie auf Tauris
  Iphigenie auf Tauris
  Iphigenia in Tauris is a reworking by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe of the ancient Greek tragedy Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις, Iphigeneia en Taurois, by Euripides. Goethe's chosen Latinized title for his work, however, is a false analogy to the title of Euripides's tragedy, which really means "Iphigenia...
  
   (1996)

Director: Alfred Gärtner. With Werner Traud (Thoas) and Angela Amecke-Mönnighof (Iphigenie). Additional actors: Sascha Rotermund, Klaus Lücke.

• Jedermann (2005)

Director: Werner Traud

Special features: Frank Butterweck sings the invitation, composed by Linke/Traud.

Rehearsals

• Krippenspiel (started 1998, initiated by children's ensemble)
• Christian Bollmann (until 1999)
• Jazzfestival (until 2005)

Patronage

• Johannes Rau
  Johannes Rau
  Johannes Rau was a German politician of the SPD. He was President of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004, and Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 1998.-Education and work:...
  
   († 2006), patron 1985 - 1998
• Wolfram Kuschke
  Wolfram Kuschke
  Wolfram Kuschke is a politician. He is a member of the parliament in North Rhine-Westphalia for SPD.-Political career:...
  
  , patron 1999 - 2008

Chairmen

In December 2007 Winfried Hagen resigned as chairman together with his wife Gabriele Hagen, his daughter Stephanie Hagen and the arts director Werner Traud.

History

• Agatha Allhoff-Cramer († ), chairman 1985 - 1995
• Werner Traud, chairman 1996 - 2003
• Winfried Hagen, chairman 2004 - 2007

Directors

The director organizes the cultural events at Festspiele Balver Höhle. The board appoints the artistic director.

Artistic directors

• Hermann Wedekind
  Hermann Wedekind
  Hermann Wedekind was an artistic director at Festspiele Balver Höhle in the years 1985 - 1996.-Vita:Formerly he was a theatre director in Saarbrücken where he met Oskar Lafontaine...
  
   († 1998), artistic director 1985 - 1996
• Alfred Gärtner, artistic director 1997 - 2000
• Jochen Zoerner-Erb, artistic director 2001 - 2003
• Werner Traud, artistic director 2004 - 2007

Children's theatre director

The artistic director appoints the children's theatre director.

• Werner Traud (1991 - 2000, 2004 - 2006)
• Kai Wolters (2001 - 2003)
• Matthias Hay (2007)
• Gabriele Krieger (since 2008)

Dance director

The artistic director appoints the dance instructor especially for Balver Märchenwochen.

• Monika Eickelmann (1991)
• Sigrid Kanthack-Leser (1998)
• Claudia Waltermann (1998)
• Anna Maczuga-Schwabe (until 2005)
• Anke Lux (until 2007)
• William Danne (2008)

Musical directors

The artistic director appoints the musical director especially for Balver Märchenwochen.

• Alexander Schwarze (1998 - 1999, only Musical)
• Walter Kiesbauer (until 2002)
• Walter Czakiel (until 2003)
• Philipp Schreiber (until 2007)
• Ralf Linke in cooperation with Berthold Wagner (since 2004)

Discography

CD

• Robin Hood 1995
• Tu es Petrus 1997
• Aladdin und die Wunderlampe 1998
• Phantastische Reise zu Kapitän Nemo 1999
• Pippi in Taka-Tuka-Land 2001
• Peter Pan 2008

DVD

• Der Zauberer von OZ 2005
• Robin Hood 2006
• Peter Pan 2008
• 5th Irish Folk & Celtic Music 2006
• 6th Irish Folk & Celtic Music 2007

Video

• Katharina von Georgien
  Katharina von Georgien
  Katharina von Georgien is a drama written by baroque writer Andreas Gryphius. It was published in 1657.-Main characters:* Ketewan, queen of Georgia* Shah Abbas, shah of Persia* Iman Culi* Seinel Can* Salome...
  
  1984
• Ronja Räubertocher 1993
• Robin Hood 1995
• Der Zauberer von OZ 2005

External links

• Schützen Balve: DIRK BÜCHSENSCHÜTZ IST ROBIN HOOD - Proben für die Märchenwochen 2006 haben begonnen
• Jazzfestival (Redirect)

German

• Festival web site
• Photos taken by Thomas Emde
• Photos taken by Volker Griese