vienna, july 18 (xinhua) -- austrian president heinz fischer on wednesday opened the 67th annual bregenz festival, which will feature 80 opera, orchestral concerts, music and poetry, and drama activities this year under the theme of "memories of the future."

the annual music festival will take place by the bodensee near the german and swiss borders. already some 166,000 tickets have been sold, local media reported.

thursday's "opera on the lake," a traditional highlight of the festival, this year will feature the revolutionary drama "andre chenier," a four-act opera by umberto giordano.

bregenz festival president hans-peter metzler said in his opening speech for the event that it was a goal for festival organizers to allow art to "tread its own unique way, from the known to the unknown, to the never before seen, never before heard, and in the best case, never before experienced."

the bregenz festival will run from july 18 to august 18.