Blog entries

Response to the Report of the Austrian Court of Audit

After the massive criticism voiced by the Austrian Court of Audit against the framework conditions of the Salzburg Festival, President Helga Rabl-Stadler, Associate Landeshauptmann Wilfried Haslauer as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Mayor Heinz Schaden invited journalists to a press conference today, at which they stated their opinion of the Court of Audit’s report.

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Wolf Prize goes to Plácido Domingo and Sir Simon Rattle

The new winners of the renowned Wolf Prize were announced this past week: star tenor Plácido Domingo and conductor Sir Simon Rattle will share the prize, which carries a monetary value of 100,000 dollars. The award ceremony will take place on May 1, 2012 at the Parliament of Israel and will be presided over by President Shimon Peres. 

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Thomas Quasthoff takes leave of the concert stage

The German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff has decided to say goodbye to the concert stage, ending an unequalled career as a singer which lasted for almost 40 years. The exceptional artist made regular appearances at the Salzburg Festival, and his decision also affects the song recital that had been planned for August 18 at the Salzburg Festival.

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Cleopatra’s State – an Interview with Costume Designer Agostino Cavalca

Agostino Cavalca, costume designer for the production Giulio Cesare in Egitto, was in Salzburg before Christmas to discuss his designs with the Salzburg Festival’s costumes and make-up team.

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The Labyrinth under the Roof

Emanuel Schikaneder himself wrote a sequel for his masterwork Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), entitled Das Labyrinth oder Der Kampf mit den Elementen (The Labyrinth, or the Struggle with the Elements). Going back to the tradition of popular theater, this composition by Peter von Winter, which enjoyed enormous success at its time, will be presented during the coming Festival summer at the Residenzhof. Our trailer shows how this open-air production is weather-proofed.

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The Countdown is on – Order your tickets by January 9, 2012!

Since the program was presented to the public on November 11, many ticket orders have already reached us. We are delighted at such great interest in our coming Festival summer! The 2012 program of the Salzburg Festival offers 232 events at 15 venues in the three genres of opera, concert and drama.

Therefore, we would like to remind you that an important deadline for ticket orders is coming up on January 9: all orders that arrive by that date will be treated equally, no matter whether you placed your order on November 11, in time for Christmas, or in the days until the deadline.

Any order that arrives after this date will only be considered after all orders arriving before the deadline have been dealt with and filled.

Please note: your ticket order must be received by January 9 in writing. Thus, you may order via our website, via email to info@salzburgfestival.at, via fax to +43 662 8045-555 or via regular mail to the Ticket Office of the Salzburg Festival, Herbert von Karajan Platz 11, PO Box 140, 5010 Salzburg, Austria.

“The Festival Product is just right!” – New study on the economic importance of the Salzburg Festival

The enormous economic importance of the Salzburg Festival for the region and all of Austria is demonstrated by a study conducted by the Center of Future Studies at Salzburg’s University of Applied Sciences, led by Dkfm. Bernd Gaubinger, which was presented today (December 21, 2011) during a press conference with Festival President Dr. Helga Rabl-Stadler.

Providing 200 year-round jobs and more than 3,600 summer jobs, the Salzburg Festival is an important employer in the region. Its tax and social insurance contributions alone provide the state with more revenue than the sum of the subsidies paid to the Festival for the same year. “Ever since its founding, the Salzburg Festival has been the artistic and economic motor for an entire region. This motor is stronger today than ever: the overall economic effect has grown to 276 million Euros – more than ever before!” Helga Rabl-Stadler said.

At the same time, the analysis yielded impressive data about the characteristics of Festival visitors: the average Festival visitor from outside Salzburg stays in Salzburg for a week, attending four performances, frequenting a higher-class hotel in the city of Salzburg and spending a total of 2,220 Euros on accommodation, food, shopping and other expenses for the entire duration of his or her stay, plus an average of 550 Euros on Festival tickets. Most people attend Salzburg Festival performances in pairs, but stay in Salzburg during the Festival in groups of three. With an average of 18 previous visits to the Festival, this visitor can be called a long-term regular guest. “The Festival product is just right!”

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Peter von Matt To Give Keynote Address In 2012

Landeshauptfrau Gabi Burgstaller and Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler have agreed that starting in 2012, the Festival will invite the speaker for the keynote address at the Festival’s opening ceremony. The keynote speaker for 2012 has already been chosen. Artistic Director Alexander Pereira suggested Peter von Matt, who has accepted.

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Salzburg Festival Mourns Death of Václav Havel

“The Salzburg Festival mourns the passing of a wonderful writer, a courageous politician in difficult times, and an upright man,” Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler said. In 1990, just after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Václav Havel gave the keynote address at the Festival’s Opening Ceremony.

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“Mojo” celebrates premiere at London’s Barbican

Today, December 16, the Ensemble Theatre-Rites celebrates the premiere of Mojo at London’s Barbican. As part of the 2012 Salzburg Festival, the play for children (and adults) directed by Sue Buckmaster will also be performed in Salzburg. We bring you a brief preview of this enchanting co-production.

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