People who maintain an economic worldview and regard eternal growth as the primary goal of history, probably also believe in the saying “What costs nothing is worth nothing”. One could argue against them that true beauty is often purposeless and that freedom may unfold better if it is also free from the laws of instrumental reason and commercial intentions.
In any case, the Ottobrunner Kultursommerfest is to a certain extent committed to beauty, admission is free, and has been for many years. Of course, this has nothing to do with free culture or inferior quality of the protagonists, it is a good opportunity for the citizens of the community (and beyond) to watch professional and local artists doing their skills in a sociable atmosphere.
After it was canceled last year due to the corona pandemic, this year it will take place for the 32nd time as an open-air event, in the rose garden behind the Wolf-Ferrari House, on Saturday, July 24th. Cabaret artists, music bands, fire artists, acrobats and musical performers will transform the pretty garden into a colorful cultural stage, and at the end an elaborate fireworks display is planned to illuminate the sky over the south-east of Munich. Nevertheless, it is a little different this year, the pandemic will also determine the conditions in 2021. “In order to enable as many guests as possible to enjoy art, we decided to offer two almost identical performance blocks as individual events of around three hours each,” explains Horst Frank, director of the Wolf-Ferrari House in Ottobrunn, who together with the initiator of the cultural summer, Bernd Seidel, organized the festival.
In the first edition, the performances begin at 4 p.m. (entry 3 p.m.), the second round starts at 8.30 p.m. (entry 7.45 p.m.). Visitors have to register in advance for one of the two performance blocks in order to be able to reserve seats at numbered tables or entire tables. “As the number of tables is limited, we ask those interested to register as a group with family, relatives or friends,” said Frank. You can register by email ([email protected]), by phone on 089/60 80 83 00 or in person in the Wolf-Ferrari-Haus, room number 236 on the ground floor. Due to the safety and hygiene rules, there is only one access to the event area, which is located at the east entrance of the rose garden. The entire area will be equipped with beer garden tables and benches (for a maximum of ten people). There is no mask requirement at the seat.
If the weather cooperates, it should be an atmospheric and appealing festival again despite the organizational changes: The Abraxas Musical Academy presents show parts from the musicals “Singin ‘in the rain” and “Cabaret”, the acrobatics and fire show group “Sunflames” “takes you into a world of elves with a flaming scenario, and the soccer juggler Sebastian Landauer combines his amazing tricks on the ball with comedy interludes.
Humor is also the profession of Wolfgang Kamm, who won the “Amici Artium” competition for cabaret artists in Ottobrunn in 2019. Local protagonists also appear, of course: The Good Times big band the Rosmarie-Theobald-Musikschule Ottobrunn (RTM) under the direction of Herman Rid or the choir class of the 6th grade of the Gymnasium Neubiberg under the direction of Margret Joswig, which offers musical performances. And last but not least, play Teddy and the lollipops “Groovy, lardy and cuddly from the German era of the 50s”. If it rains continuously, the cultural summer festival would have to be canceled, but Bernd Seidel, who will lead through the festival as moderator as always, is confident and says with a wink: “We have good artists and the show is free for visitors … and then mine concentrated charm as a moderator. That could be fantastic again. “