RuhrTriennale
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The RuhrTriennale is a music festival that was founded in 2002 in the northwestern area of Germany by the government of North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen, short: NRW). It's founding director was the renowned impresario and former artistic director of the Salzburg Festival Gerard Mortier. The locations of the RuhrTriennale are the remarkable industrial heritage sites of the river Ruhr, which have been transformed to become spectacular venues for music, theatre, literature and dance.
At its heart are the Kreationen (creations) – productions that seek an interdisciplinary dialogue between genres at authentic industrial venues. Former machine halls and coking plants witness drama and opera entering into combination with innovative developments from the worlds of fine art, pop, jazz and concert music. Another continuous element is the concert chain Century of Song which is dedicated to the art of songwriting.
Ariane Mnouchkine, Peter Brook, Bill Viola, Patrice Chéreau, Ilya Kabakov, Peter Sellars, Christian Boltanski, Bill Frisell, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Cecilia Bartoli and Thomas Hampson are just some of the artists who have contributed to the festival‘s unmistakable profile.
Bochum‘s Jahrhunderthalle is the RuhrTriennale‘s central festival hall. Other locations include the Zeche Zollverein Colliery in Essen, the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord and the Maschinenhalle Zweckel in Gladbeck.
The annual festival RuhrTriennale has taken place since 2002 in cycles of three years and under successive artistic directors. The idea of holding a festival spanning numerous genres and linking them to the industrial heritage of the Ruhr District has been received with enthusiasm by both audiences and the media. From the first, uncompromising programme directed by its founder, Gerard Mortier (2002 to 2004), the RuhrTriennale has succeeded in establishing itself as one of the continent‘s great festivals.
The second RuhrTriennale is currently taking place between 2005 and 2007, directed by Juergen Flimm. The common theme of the first season was the relationship between industrialisation and the Romanticism. The second and third years will also each be marked by a thematic focus based on an epoch: 2006 will centre on the Baroque period; 2007 will deal with the Middle Ages (or medieval period).
The RuhrTriennale season runs between mid-August and mid-October. The 2006 season will start August 19th (opening gala) and will end October 15th.
A detailed festival programme will be published mid-April 2006.
