Home History The Merano Music Festival was introduced in 1986 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the renowned spa town Merano. It gave fresh impetus to Merano's tradition as a music town. From the very beginning the festival has been set to meet the highest artistic demands. Under the supervision of artistic director Andreas Cappello the Merano Music Festival quickly rose to great fame, making it a point of reference among Europe's festivals. Merano lends a special aura to the festival. Its architecture dates back to the height of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and reveals its history as traditional spa town in the heart of South Tyrol. Owing to its mild climate and the Mediterranean vegetation Merano has a special Mediterranean charm which, combined with the central European influences creates an unmistakable atmosphere that has made Merano into an ideal place for artists, poets and musicians. Thus, since the end of the 19th century many have found their way to this holiday resort, revelled in its mild climate and enjoyed the magnificent promenades and the natural sunny terraces that were a source of inspiration for Franz Kafka, Arthur Schnitzler, Christian Morgenstern, Max Reger, Hans Pfitzner, Bela Bartok and Franz Lehar - just to name a few. The first years of the festival were largely dedicated to chamber music. A number of concerts with the "Camerata Bern", the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Solisti Veneti directed by Claudio Scimone and the Moscow Virtuosi with Vladimir Spivakov were the first highlights of the Festival. In 1987 the Emerson String Quartet and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra included the Merano Music Festival in their first European tour. In 1990 the beginning of a new period in the history of the Festival was marked by the highly acclaimed musician Heinrich Schiff. He introduced his own festival inside the festival, delighting the audiences with varied programmes featuring the Hagen Quartet, the "Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie" and other fine musicians. In 1992 Sir Neville Marriner cooperated in the artistic direction of the festival. The Academy of St.Martin in the Fields became the residential orchestra of the festival, further improving its quality. By now all great orchestras from Budapest, Gothenburg, Israel, London, Moscow, Paris, St.Petersburg, Prague and Warsaw have turned the Merano Music Festival into a festival of symphonies. World class musicians such as Charles Dutoit, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Carlo Maria Giulini, Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Sir Roger Norrington, Mstislav Rostropovitch produced unforgettable performances, for which the light-flooded atmosphere of the "Kursaal" offered the ideal ambience. Designed by the Austrian architect Friedrich Ohmann, the Kursaal is a unique example of Jugendstil architecture and one of the most beautiful concert halls in Europe. Its vast and elegant interior has wonderful acoustics, inspiring the musicians to superb performances. The Merano Music Festival started as an insider tip and has now become an international meeting point for classical music.