Music Under the Stars: Erfurt's Romantic Cathedral Steps Summer Festival

But in summer, these steps turn into the setting for the city's DomStufen-Festspiele, the popular Cathedral Steps Festival in the capital of Thuringia.

Audiences from around the world come to enjoy the productions that are set against the 700-year-old backdrop. This summer marks the 20th season of this open-air cultural highlight that runs from July 4 to July 21 in the Cathedral Square, where two shows will pull in huge audiences.

Topping the bill is Turandot, one of the world's favorite operas, and Giacomo Puccini's final work for the stage. Taking the lead role is Russian-born soprano Irina Rindzuner, who has earned rave reviews around the world, from New York and Chicago to London and Copenhagen. Tenor Sergey Nayda from Siberia is equally talented, known for his Wagnerian repertoire and his performances in Moscow with the Kirov Opera and at the Bolshoi Theatre. The fifteen performances begin as dusk falls over the medieval city at 8.30pm each night.

And, best of all, it doesn't matter where you sit. The quality of the sound is rated "Superb", thanks to one of the world's most advanced sound systems. Critics and audiences alike praise the perfect balance between soloists, chorus and orchestra.

As for Erfurt itself, walking through the cobbled streets is like flicking though the pages of a German history book: half-timbered houses, stylish mansions and the 400-ft long medieval Merchants' Bridge, the last bridge in Europe lined with shops and houses that are still lived in! During its eventful past, famous residents and visitors have ranged from Goethe and Schiller to Bach and Napoleon.

Most significantly, as we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, Erfurt was Martin Luther's spiritual home. Here the Protestant Reformer studied, became a monk and was later ordained in the cathedral - and the steps of the cathedral are used as the stage. (Each year on November 10th, the city celebrates both Martin Luther and St Martin of Tours with the annual St Martin's Festival).

July is a lovely time of year to sit outside one of the city's traditional taverns, where they serve local dishes, or to linger in a beer garden by the river with a foaming glass of the locally-brewed Braugold. Or buy Thüringer Bratwurst, Germany's best sausage, grilled over wood, from a street vendor. Then settle into your seat for the opera: a truly romantic experience.

SPECIAL PACKAGE for the Cathedral Steps Festival:

TURANDOTE (July 5 to July 21, 2013)

1 x Ticket for the festival

1 x night's accommodation in a hotel (with breakfast). Extra nights on request.

Booking code: TTGDS2013

Price:

Sharing a double room: from 118,50 EUR per person

Single room: from 162 EUR per person

Contact:

Tourist Information Thuringia
Willy-Brandt-Platz 1
99084 Erfurt

Tel: +49 (0) 361 / 37 420
Fax: +49 (0) 361 / 37 42 388
service@thueringen-tourismus.de