The FREMDE ERDE festival, now in its third iteration, focuses on music works banned under the Nazi regime. From April 12 to 29, 2026, over 100 musicians will revive compositions by more than 20 persecuted artists in Vienna.
The FREMDE ERDE festival aims to bring to public attention composers who were victims of Nazi tyranny and to reintroduce their forgotten works. This year, from April 12 to 29, 2026, in Vienna-Neubau, over 100 musicians will perform compositions by more than 20 persecuted artists. The festival is a collaboration between VIVA LA CLASSICA!, the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies (VWI), Neubau, the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien (IKG.Kultur), PEN Austria, and the Exilarte Centre of the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
The 2026 program includes works by composers such as Akos Banlaky, Hanns Eisler, Maria Hofer, Friedrich Hollaender, Joseph Horovitz, Vítĕzslava Kaprálová, Fritz Kreisler, Józef Koffler, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alexander Kukelka, Szymon Laks, Hermann Leopoldi, Karol Rathaus, Władysław Szpilman, Alexandre Tansman, Mieczysław Weinberg, Ilse Weber, Egon Joseph Wellesz, Kurt Weill, Hans Winterberg, Erich Zeisl, and Alexander Zemlinsky, among others. The event involves a large number of performers, including soloists, ensembles, and orchestras.
