1985

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“The ‘styrian autumn’ of this year, like the one of last year, and also the one of next year is not a program set of styles and types from the prosecture of the trend makers and the trend breakers, in which pieces of the present, that has already been commented to exhaustion, are called ‘the future’, is neither a tailor shop for the new garments of some new Caesars, is more the trial to make a most significant present out of the knowledge about a contradicting past and the hope of a better future.
Mixing together established and controversial art without any shyness, always bearing in mind the fata morgana, that an artistic program should or has to become an artistic work, a picture made of songs, a song made of words and gestures, a great stage play altogether, tragedy and satyric drama in one, so colourful and confusing that the onlookers become actors, that art and life become one in the drama, that is creating itself, just like Don Quichote, who was imperturable on his way to such an utopian idea.”
—Peter Vujica

Before the opening, three evenings with readings, entitled Austrian Writers and Friends, had already taken place in New York in May within the framework of steirischer herbst. The official opening at the Forum Stadtpark began with premieres by Olga Neuwirth as well as Gunter Falk and Dieter Glawischnig, continued with readings and “music in the pavilion,” and concluded with the premiere of the piece Han und Amin (Han and Amin) by Jürg Laederach and a concert after midnight.

The premiere of The Holy Grail of Jazz and Joy by George Gruntz, with a prominent lineup of musicians including Bobby McFerrin and Sheila Jordan, was initially planned to be held in the Lurgrotte cave. However, concerns about the bats that lived in the cave led to the cancellation of the event for the audience; the performance in the grotto was recorded by the Austrian broadcaster ORF without an audience.

Hermann Nitsch, who had caused a scandal in 1981 with his Orgien-Mysterien-Theater (Orgies Mystery Theater), conducted an orchestra assembled especially for this evening for his 7. Symphonie (7th Symphony) at the Haus der Jugend. From the perspective of theater history, the premiere of Heiner Müller’s auto-dramatic text Bildbeschreibung (Image Description) in the Redoutensaal of the Schauspielhaus can surely be regarded as trailblazing.

trigon 85, titled Synonyme für Skulpturen (Synonyms for Sculptures), was expanded by Wilfried Skreiner to include the Federal Republic of Germany (Isa Genzken, Rosemarie Trockel, and Kirsten Ortweg), England, France, Switzerland, and Spain for the first time. Also new in 1985 was the program item “smart art,” with productions between opera, concert, dance, and performance by Robert Ashley, Barbara Allen, Karole Armitage, Philip Glass, and others.

Program