Summer Night's Dream in Altenburg: The audience disappointed at the open-air concert

Summer Night's Dream in Altenburg: The audience disappointed at the open-air concert

This evening, June 21, 2025, the Classic Open-Air in Altenburg took place, which took place under the motto "Midsummer Night's Dream". In bright sunshine and a cloudless sky, the Altenburg-Geraer Theater and the city administration welcomed an impressive number of 1,017 guests. This event has been marking the first event with more than 1,000 spectators for a long time, which is a clear sign of the return of cultural life in the region. In comparison, only 450 spectators were present in 2021.

The evening offered an exciting performance in which violinist Michael Barenboim played the violin concerto in E minor by Felix Mendelssohn, while Ruben Gazarian was conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg-Gera. The program also included a break from the Altenburg player Academy, which resulted in a 15-minute Persiflage of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The direction of the break was taken over by Heike Hennig, a theater teacher from Leipzig, and ensured a humorous but also nostalgic insert.

Special guests and culinary delights

The evening was not only a musical festival, but also offered gastronomic highlights. The Ratskeller and the Café Domizil were fully booked for the event, and the new antipasti plate in the Ratskeller was very well received by the guests. The high fluctuation of the audience, which led some visitors to leave the event prematurely, was particularly remarkable. Nevertheless, there was a lot of applause for the actors, especially for the special farewell of Mechthild Scrobanita after 45 years at the theater. Their performance was recognized by those present, even if the overall program did not meet the expectations of all spectators and some even referred to it as a "summer night album".

The Classic Open Air will be remembered by many music lovers as a nice event, even if the second event of the evening was unable to convince in the various opinions of the audience. However, anyone who experienced the well -known melodies of Mendelssohn and the acting interludes of the lay theater will probably have got their money's worth. The event was also scheduled for the summer solstice and took place in front of a picturesque backdrop on Altenburger Marktplatz, which also gave the evening a festive character.

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