Munich (dpa/lby) - The court dispute over a Christmas tradition in Munich will continue into 2023: In the dispute over a denied date for the performance of a Christmas oratorio, the Munich I Regional Court wants to hear witnesses on February 8th. The focus will be on the question of whether there has been a long-standing practice in the Gasteig concert hall of reserving appointments for certain organizers in advance, said a court spokeswoman.
The plaintiff claims that this was also the case in 2019 for the Christmas oratorio she had planned - and is claiming 50,000 euros in damages after the Bach Choir had changed organizers and she had to switch to an alternative date with a new choir. The Konzerthaus denies that the plaintiff was promised the fourth weekend in Advent.
The plaintiff had asserted that the Christmas oratorio was to be held in the Gasteig every year on the fourth weekend in Advent. When the Bach Choir switched to another promoter in 2019, the concert hall transferred the date to the new promoter. The plaintiff had to switch to an alternative date with a new choir.
In addition to compensation for lost income, she also wants to be compensated for future losses. According to a preliminary assessment, the court saw no reason for this. The fact that the concert hall will continue to be obliged to reserve the date of Advent exclusively for the plaintiff does not result either from the contract or from antitrust considerations.
With a view to 2019, however, the court provisionally came to the conclusion that the exchange of the choir was not sufficient reason to cancel the organizer's reservation. After all, the plaintiff wanted to continue to perform the Christmas oratorio on the weekend of the fourth Advent, it said. Whether there was such a reservation should now be clarified with the help of the witnesses.
