Nicholas II will be the star of the Salzburg Festival | Culture and Lifestyle in Germany and Europe

The Salzburg Festival will take place this year from 17 July to 31 August. The usual (for pre-pandemic time) “set” of events is expected: 168 events at 17 venues.

The main opera productions of the festival

Some of the events scheduled for this year have been moved from the program of the last season. Among them – one of the key premieres: “Don Giovanni” directed by the Italian theater artist Romeo Castellucci. The music section will be performed by the musicAeterna choir and orchestra under the baton of Theodor Currentzis, and the lead roles will be performed by Davide Luciano (Don Giovanni) and Nadezhda Pavlova (Donna Anna). In addition, this year in Salzburg will show the key work of post-war modernism – the opera “Intolerance” by Luigi Nono. One cannot fail to note the participation of Anna Netrebko in the festival – with the part in “Tosca” by Giacomo Puccini.

Just a few days ago, the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Choir were forced to withdraw from the festival. Under the direction of the chief conductor Mirga Gražine-Tila, the orchestra was to perform Benjamin Britten’s monumental War Requiem. However, this was hampered by new travel restrictions from the UK due to the delta variant of the coronavirus infection.

The festival management urgently compiled a new orchestra for the performance of Britten’s Requiem – from different Austrian groups. And now, for the first time, the festival has its own festival orchestra!

Performers of the main roles – Verena Altenberger and Lars Eidinger

New “Namearek”

In the traditional and obligatory production of the festival “Imyarek” – a new cast. The main role this season went to the Berlin actor Lars Eidinger (Lars Eidinger). In difficult times, director Michael Sturminger intends to create a simple production. For the first time, the devil will be played by a woman – actress Mavie Hörbiger. The director is confident that in a few years women will generally play the title role of the production.

Conductor Riccardo Muti

Two anniversaries of the Italian maestro Riccardo Muti

During the festival, about 80 concerts will take place, participants of which will be such big names as Matthias Goerne, Sonya Yoncheva, Joyce Didonato, Hasmik Grigoryan, Ildar Abdrazakov, musicAeterna orchestra and choir and many other stars.

The Italian maestro, conductor and former artistic director of the Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti will celebrate on stage not only his own 80th birthday, but also his half-century participation in the Salzburg Festival. On this occasion he will perform Beethoven’s Solemn Mass with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

See also:

Despite the pandemic: opera, concerts, cinema, theater
Venice Film Festival
The film festival starts in Venice on September 2. The main competition program involves a Russian film – the film “Dear Comrades” by Andrei Konchalovsky, dedicated to the tragic events in Novocherkassk in 1962 (the shooting of workers who took part in the strike). In the main role – Yulia Vysotskaya. The film has good chances for a prize: Konchalovsky is a regular at the film forum and his eternal favorite.

Despite the pandemic: opera, concerts, cinema, theater
Vienna Opera
On September 4 at the Vienna Opera will be held a discussion with the participation of the public on the topic “Repertory theater is dead! Long live repertoire theater?” And on September 7, they will give “Madame Butterfly”. This version of Puccini’s opera was staged by British director Anthony Minghella.

Despite the pandemic: opera, concerts, cinema, theater
La Scala
The theater will start the season symbolically. The orchestra, choir and soloists will perform Verdi’s Requiem: September 4 at Milan Cathedral, September 6 at Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo, September 9 at Brescia Cathedral. These cities have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. On September 12, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 will be performed at the theater for doctors and medical staff. And on September 23, the ballet soloists Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle will perform on the stage.

Despite the pandemic: opera, concerts, cinema, theater
Salzburg Festival
It has already ended, but we simply cannot but tell about it. The Salzburg Festival was the first major cultural event to cut but not cancel its program due to the pandemic. It took place from 1 to 30 August. One of the main premieres is the production of the Swiss Milo Rau “Everywoman”, touchingly telling the story of a woman dying of cancer to tears.

Despite the pandemic: opera, concerts, cinema, theater
Komische Oper Berlin
The Musical Theater will start the season with a ballet show performed by soloists of the Berlin State Ballet Company. The play “LAB_WORKS COVID_19” was born from remote video rehearsals during quarantine. Dancers on stage intend to keep their distance, not getting closer to each other than epidemiologists recommend. The production will acquaint the audience with the everyday life of ballet dancers.

Despite the pandemic: opera, concerts, cinema, theater
Elbe Philharmonic
Despite the bad predictions about a second wave of the pandemic, opera and drama theaters, concert halls in Europe are opening their doors to art lovers after a long hiatus. The Elbe Philharmonic in Hamburg will start the season on 1 September with Prokofiev and Brahms. The violin solo will be performed by Liza Batiashvili, a German violinist of Georgian origin, laureate of many prestigious awards.

Despite the pandemic: opera, concerts, cinema, theater
Margrave Opera House in Bayreuth
The Bayreuth Baroque festival kicks off at the Bayreuth Opera House. Not to be confused with the Bayreuth Wagner Music Festival! It’s about a completely different music and a different site. The festival will be held for the first time in a theater built in the Baroque era The organizers intend to hold it annually. The music for the opera “Karl the Bald”, the premiere of which will open the festival on September 3, was written by the Italian composer Nicola Porpora.

Despite the pandemic: opera, concerts, cinema, theater
Rimini Protocol
The work of the Berlin group “Bauprobe Beethoven” (Rehearsal of the “Beethoven” construction site) is the only production within the framework of the Beethoven Festival, which was postponed to 2021, which was to be held in Bonn in September. On September 12 and 13, the audience will take part in a performance inside the concert hall under construction in Bonn. Beethoven: there is a chance to experience all the delights of the German long-term construction!
Author: Daria Bryantseva