Summer Series: Open Air
July 25, 2012
Episode 8: Serbia Hosts the World's Biggest Trumpet Festival
Each August hundreds of thousands of fans of brass instruments descend on the Serbian village of Guča for its famous trumpet festival. While the musicians vie for the coveted "Golden Trumpet" award, the crowd gets to enjoy the biggest party in the Balkans -- complete with suckling pig, plum schnapps and carousel rides.
Episode 7: An architecture festival in Hamburg
Hamburg is a vibrant city that is continuously reinventing itself. Recent initiatives include the new Harbor City neighborhood and the spruced-up Altona district, but the city also takes care to preserve its historical flair. We take a look at an architecture festival that takes stock of Hamburg’s urban development.
Episode 6: Cinema on the Piazza Grande – the Locarno Film Festival
Locarno enchants everyone – with sun, water, palm trees and the world’s largest open-air cinema. Every night, 8000 film buffs gather on the Piazza Grande, and the audience response to what's on the giant screen is immediately clear!
Episode 5: A Refreshing Wind or Dead Air? - The Greek Festival in Epidaurus
An ancient theater on the Peloponnese peninsula, Epidaurus has for decades been the venue for the Greek Festival. Major international and experimental productions are on the program - or they should be. The economic crisis has left the event with a reduced budget, meaning the stage has been cleared for inexpensive, local producers. But are they up to being in the spotlight?
Episode 4: The Savonlinna Opera Festival
Our summer reporters take the train to an open-air event located at the edge of the Arctic Circle. The Finnish opera festival has been held in Savonlinna’s medieval castle for 100 years now. We witness great opera on, in front of and behind the stage.
Episode 3: Stunning spectacle in Saarland
The new open-air festival "Electro Magnetic" in the Völklinger Hütte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saarland, combines electronic music and the atmosphere of this gigantic decommissioned ironworks to create a unique experience.
Episode 2: Beaufort04
The Beaufort04 Triennale of Contemporary Art is underway in Belgium. It features works by artists from 26 nations. Their creations are scattered along the Flemish coastline - some on lonely beaches and others in the midst of lively seaside resorts.
Episode 1: "Composed Landscape” Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Our first stop: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with jazz on the pier in Sellin on the island of Rügen, and the romantic backdrop of the Gross Siemen rose garden. The concerts are part of a festival called "Composed Landscapes" - live music at very special locations.