Blog entries

Discussing the Extraordinary Production of Ariadne auf Naxos with Director of Drama Sven-Eric Bechtolf

The first opera premiere of the Vienna Philharmonic at the 2012 Salzburg Festival presents a familiar work in an unfamiliar guise: Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos had its world premiere 100 years ago. The Salzburg Festival celebrates this anniversary as a way of paying homage to the three founding fathers, given that Strauss and Hofmannsthal dedicated their opera to Max Reinhardt. Sven-Eric Bechtolf directs this unconventional production, having adapted Molière’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, which precedes the opera in its original version.

read on ...

A Brilliant Debut – Glimpses of the Festival Ball Preparations

Even at this early stage, September 1, 2012 promises to be the “crowning glory” of this year’s Festival summer: for the Festival’s closing, there will be a grand gala dinner at Salzburg’s Residenz, and then the venerable Felsenreitschule will witness the instruction: “All dance!” The culinary highlights at the gala dinner at the Residenz will be created by the award-winning chef Andreas Döllerer from Golling: his concept for the dinner unites classical and typical specialties from the Salzburg region with a pinch of originality and cosmopolitan charm.

read on ...

This Year’s Festival program on ORF: Enjoy the Salzburg Festival in your Living Room!

This year will see an unusually large number of Salzburg Festival productions being broadcast by ORF. Thus, you will have the opportunity to watch not only the festive opening gala of the most traditional cultural summer festival of them all, but also various opera productions like La bohème and a Philharmonic concert at home. In addition, the ORF program focus offers numerous other Festival events and closely related features – on TV, radio and a new special channel. 

read on ...

Two Open-Air Events for the Citizens of Salzburg and the Festival’s Visitors on Cathedral Square

This summer, the Salzburg Festival will offer two open-air events for the citizens of Salzburg and Festival visitors on Cathedral Square. The first event will take place on the day the Festival opens, July 27 at 5:00 pm. Barbara Frittoli and Plácido Domingo will perform arias and duets; Zubin Mehta conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. On August 23, the new production of the opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini will be heard in concert. Daniele Gatti conducts. Piotr Beczala takes on the role of Rodolfo, and the role of Mimì will be sung by the American soprano Ailyn Pérez. Anna Netrebko has a simultaneous engagement in New York on that day. The proceeds from the events will be donated to a charitable cause yet to be announced. 

All artists will perform without fees.

Ticket sales begin on July 2; advance reservations are not possible. 

Impressive Result of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival 2012

“I am profoundly happy about Cecilia Bartoli’s enthusiasm, her unflagging passion for music and her wealth of ideas,” said Artistic Director Alexander Pereira. More than 10,500 visitors from 39 nations will have attended the 2012 Salzburg Whitsun Festival by tonight. This equals a share of 96% of tickets sold, confirming that the new concept has met with full audience approval.“It is a Whitsun miracle for the Salzburg Festival too. An enormous artistic success, thanks to the wonderful Cecilia Bartoli and the artists and programs chosen by her.” Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler exclaimed. 

read on ...

Festival Wine and Festival Beer: The New Edition 2012

Yesterday, Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler presented this year’s Festival Wine and Festival Beer, together with winemakers Michael Moosbrugger of the Schloss Gobelsburg Winery and Josef Tesch from Neckenmarkt, as well as the master brewer and certified beer sommelier Markus Trinker of the Stiegl Brewery in Salzburg. Thus, the vivacious Mittelburgenland met the art-loving Kamptal.

read on ...

Program for Whitsun Festival 2013 Announced

At a press conference, Artistic Director Alexander Pereira presented the program for the next Whitsun Festival in 2013. The overarching theme for the coming year is the topic of “sacrifice”. Cecilia Bartoli, the Artistic Director of the Whitsun Festival, is especially interested in the ambiguity which becomes apparent when one translates the German term Opfer: “Thus, in English, it means both ‘sacrifice’ and ‘victim’. But in fact and truth, isn’t the difference in most cases a matter of perspective? After all, there can be no sacrifice without someone or something being sacrificed, without an offering – the question is only on which side one finds oneself.” (Cecilia Bartoli)

read on ...

Mojca Erdmann and Cecilia Bartoli replace Anna Netrebko, who had to cancel her appearance due to illness

Programme change for the concert Cleopatra orientale on May 28 at 6:00 pm at the Großes Festspielhaus. Cecilia Bartoli, Artistic Director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, says: “For the first time in my career, I feel two hearts beat in my breast: the familiar singer’s heart, and the new heart of the artistic director. Who, if not I as a singer, can understand better how Anna feels? 

read on ...

Cleopatra culinaria: Egyptian Dinner

What manner of homage to the legendary queen of the senses would be complete without a banquet featuring Egyptian food and Egyptian music? After the performance of Giulio Cesare in Egitto on May 27, the Salzburg Festival hosts an Egyptian Dinner.

read on ...

Obituary for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

“The Festival owes Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau moments of glory celebrated equally by our audiences and the press” – thus Helga Rabl-Stadler, the Festival’s President, expressed her mourning of the wonderful musician’s passing.In Salzburg, Fischer-Dieskau was among those artists which gave the Festival its outstanding international reputation. He appeared at the Salzburg Festival no less than 123 times: 67 times in operas, in 50 recitals, three times as a conductor and three times as a narrator.

read on ...