Austrian Government Opens Bregenz Festival 2025 with Appeal for Visionary and Responsible "Mindset"
The Bregenz Festival 2025 had been officially opened. The opening ceremony, which attracted high-ranking representatives from politics and culture, focused on Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Austrian Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler. Both argued in their speeches that we are living in a forward-looking and critical time, emphasizing the importance of showing courage and responsibility.
The opening speeches were followed by the cultural kick-off with George Enescu's rarely performed tragedy “Oedipe,” the new house opera of this year's festival. / Picture: © Österreichische Präsidentschaftskanzlei / Peter Lechner/HBF
It was inevitable that in Austria, of all places, at the opening of the Bregenz Festival in Freischütz, politicians would try to sound a note of caution in the turbulent times in which we live. In his speech, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen described the current world situation as a time of multiple crises – from global pressure on liberal democracy and human rights to the rapid development of artificial intelligence, smoldering conflicts, and the dramatic consequences of climate change. He emphasized that “interesting times,” often seen as a curse, can also serve as an incentive for positive action.
Van der Bellen outlined principles that he believes are crucial for mastering these turbulent times, such as acknowledging reality and seeing the world as it is, not as one would like it to be or fears it to be. In doing so, he postulates cultivating lifelong learning and an insatiable curiosity, as well as continuously developing knowledge and skills. Of course, according to him, this requires remaining flexible and not resting on past successes, but working daily to maintain and expand the status quo.
Van der Bellen more directly
The president criticizes the increasingly socially acceptable mindset of prioritizing the rights of the strongest and warns against succumbing to dystopian thinking. In addition, he says, the “European” model of success is seen by many people as dysfunctional, “too controlling, too vague, too economically restrictive, too slow, too thoughtful, too intellectual, too European.” However, he emphasizes the positive aspects of our past, saying, “Together, we Europeans have peacefully overcome major upheavals and changes in recent decades for the benefit of all and have developed a common basis.”
The Federal President also spoke out in favor of a strong and sovereign Europe. He called for joint European projects, which could range from a modern high-speed rail infrastructure to a cooperative arms policy to the development of European artificial intelligence, but which would maintain democratic accountability. Van der Bellen appealed to European self-confidence: “Isn't it time to be proud of what we have achieved and fought for in Europe? An incomparably great, shining project of peace.” He also emphasized the importance of social and ecological responsibility and that the opportunistic calculations of the few must not take precedence over the interests of the many.
The importance of art and culture as a catalyst for cohesion and courage was also highlighted. Van der Bellen wished the new artistic director Lilli Paasikivi every success for her first season and emphasized the value of the festival for the country, not only in economic terms.
The Federal President's speech and his warnings and demands show once again that we are living in turbulent times that demand a lot from us as human beings. The return to socially acceptable virtues and the almost urgent demand that “the constructive forces should gather and work together” should serve as a reminder to us all of the times we are living in.
Babler's sharp tone on social justice
Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Culture Andreas Babler struck a much sharper tone in his opening speech. He warned against authoritarian tendencies and emphasized that liberal freedom is inextricably linked to social freedom – a life without poverty and with equal opportunities.
Babler criticized the growing gap between rich and poor. He cited the fact that the richest five percent in Austria own almost as much as the remaining 95 percent of the population. The discrepancy between managers' salaries and employees' earnings has also risen dramatically. He warned that this inequality weakens democracy and jeopardizes solidarity in society. “When people feel excluded from social success,” said Babler, “the sense of community is lost.”
Despite his sharp criticism, Babler's speech ended on a more conciliatory note. He thanked those involved in the Bregenz Festival and emphasized that art and culture can help to strengthen empathy and bring society closer together again.
High political presence and cultural kick-off
The opening of the Bregenz Festival underscored the great importance of the cultural event for Austria. In addition to Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer, Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler, Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig, Vorarlberg Governor Thomas Wallner, Salzburg's new Governor Karoline Edtstadler, Tyrol Governor Anton Mattle, and State Secretary Sepp Schellhorn were also in attendance.