No. 14: 2-4 July 2004

A program booklet with a CD! Nine versions from Hoch Heidecksburg were gathered on a small tribute to the composer, Rudolf Herzer (22.11.1878 - 20.10.1914). The Country in Focus was Greece, Magic instrument the Zither, and as a Dance Focus the Reigen- or Round dance. Apart from the quality of the participants: The great Psarantonis rose from Crete mountains down to us and La Sega del Canto had a Singing saw and Harmonium and was the perfect representative of the Finnish Kauzecke, while Boban Markovic and Frank London together blew their blowers to the Brotherhood of Brass. The two girls of Ttukunak wrapped the audience around their finger with their Txalaparta-play, meanwhile Zdob şi Zdub, arrived in a rickety tour bus from Moldavia, and with their Metal-speed Balkan Folk Dance strained ears and legs. The RUTH award went to Hiss, Wu Wei, the Yalla Babo Express Orchestra, Zoriya and Walter Mossmann.

Especially in times in which the world moves more apart, a festival is such a great gift for all those involved. (Visitor)

It's just a pity that there's always a bit of rain. But since you can’t do anything else… (Visitor)

What we like in addition to the wonderful music and the superb dance performances the most is the one spirit of Rudolstadt : The unique audience comes together again and again, mixed and shaken up by music and dance, it’s carefully conducted and supervised by the organizers, no food stall is left alone, each contributing to a truly unique phenomenon. (Visitor, 66 years old)

For fans of folk, roots, handmade, analog or otherwise, the first weekend in July for World music is like what Christmas is to a child. (Christoph Dieckmann in an article for the TFF Website 2004)