Gagaku - the Mystical Sounds from Japan
In the 2026 season, the Shirabe Festival will be dedicated to a very special genre: Gagaku.
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Gagaku is Japan’s oldest surviving musical tradition — imperial sounds that have resonated at court ceremonies for over 1,200 years. This “music of the gods” unfolds in slow, floating movements and mysterious tones, as Gagaku encompasses music, dance, and Shinto ritual all at once. Recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, today, only a few musicians still master this art. Situated between ritual and myth, Gagaku opens a sonic space that transcends time and words — foreign, fascinating, and deeply moving.
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In June 2026, this extraordinary music will merge for the first time with sounds from Austria, telling stories of forbidden love, ancient temples, and Vienna’s hidden treasures of Japan.
12th of June / 19:00
hoshi no gawa - Music of another World
A balancing act between classical and pop. Frank Havrøy and Gunnar Flagstad reinterpret Schubert's masterpieces in an entertaining, fresh and surprising way. Still classical - or already pop?
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Ehrbar Saal
20th of May / 19:30
"Who am I?"
A chamber music opera gala with masterpieces of classical music, operetta, jazz and pop, as well as two world premieres by composers Bjørn Kruse and Kjell Habbestad. This performance tells the story of two young women in search of the meaning of life. One searches for it through love, the other through her career - but where does one ultimately find the meaning of life?
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Ehrbar Saal
17th of May 19:00
KlangBildKlang (SoundImageSound)
Young talents from the fields of music and visual arts build sounds into images and images into sound. What happens when art genres with different cultural backgrounds overlap and become one? Up-and-coming artists from Austria, Norway, France and Denmark can be heard and seen.
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Haydn Saal
