Herbstgold Festival at Schloss Esterházy

Since 2021, Julian Rachlin has served as Artistic Director of the Herbstgold Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria.

Founded in 2017 and set within the splendour of Schloss Esterházy – one of Europe’s most storied Baroque palaces – Herbstgold has flourished under Rachlin’s leadership into a bold celebration of musical diversity and expressive power.

Rachlin’s vision for Herbstgold reflects his own deeply held artistic ethos: music as an emotional journey – simultaneously intellectual, transcendent, and profoundly moving.  “Music,” he says, “is an act of seduction”, and at the Herbstgold festival every performance is crafted to draw audiences into an unforgettable artistic communion.

Beyond his own appearances as conductor and instrumentalist, Rachlin champions innovation at Herbstgold – bringing interdisciplinary collaborations, contemporary premieres, and unexpected juxtapositions to the festival’s programming.  His leadership unites tradition with bold creativity, forging experiences where music, setting, and atmosphere become inseparable.

Since its inception, Herbstgold has welcomed an extraordinary array of talent, including such classical icons as Martha Argerich, Gautier Capuçon, Janine Jansen, Sir András Schiff, and Sir Bryn Terfel, the beloved musical-comedy duo Igudesman & Joo, and such theatrical stars as John Malkovich, amongst others.

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe serves as the festival’s orchestra-in-residence, joined each year by a variety of high-profile guest ensembles.  Recent and forthcoming touring orchestras include the Bamberger Symphoniker, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonia Orchestra (London), amongst others.

With Rachlin’s artistry and network at its heart, Herbstgold is more than a festival – it is an immersive cultural encounter.  Every September, Eisenstadt becomes a gathering place for the world’s finest musicians, where the tradition of the past meets the vitality of the present day, and where audiences are invited to experience music’s power to move, connect, and inspire.