Innsbruck early music festival reports ticket and revenue increases

The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music ended its 50th edition with 9 percent more tickets sold and an 8 percent increase in revenue, ORF reported. Attendance exceeded 95 percent.

More than 20,000 visitors from Austria and abroad attended the 62 events held at 20 venues between July 24 and August 30, according to the festival organisers.

The anniversary edition also attracted strong media interest. Sixty-two media representatives attended the three performances of the main opera, Il pomo d’oro by Pietro Antonio Cesti.

Managing Director Markus Lutz called the anniversary year a success in every respect, saying the high attendance, increased ticket sales and higher revenue confirmed the festival’s artistic work and gave its future development a positive outlook.

Artistic Director Eva-Maria Sens said the anniversary had demonstrated the vitality of the festival and early music. She said the programme brought together artists who had shaped the festival over decades while also giving young talents a platform.

Sens added that the anniversary was not intended to be purely retrospective. By presenting Il pomo d’oro, a work long considered impossible to stage, the festival had shown its aim of taking the past seriously while creating something new, she said.