I am looking forward to going to the Salzburg Whitsun Festival. In all the years we have gone to so many music festival, the Whitsun Festival and the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy are the two I enjoy the most. These two videos show this wonderful little city of Salzburg on the Salzbach river, where you can walk to all concert venues. There are many festivals during the year in Salzburg, one is dedicated to Mozart usually in February, then the Easter Festival. The Whitsun Festival is around Pentecost weekend and finally the summer Festival of music, theatre and opera. Founded in 1920 by producer Max Reinhardt, writer Hugo Von Hofmannstal and conductor Richard Strauss, this is in response to the end of the First World War and economic difficulties in Austria with the fall of the Empire. Salzburg is chosen because it is a picturesque prestigious baroque city associated with Mozart who was born there in 1756. Many great artists participate in this Festival, names of people I have heard on records or CDs but never in person. This is the opportunity to see and hear them and sometimes meet them at the restaurant afterwards, this is how small Salzburg really is, a real pleasure for us.
The surrounding area of Salzburg is lovely with its mountains, historical residences, castles and churches. Austria being a very Roman Catholic country, there are many religious congregations like the Benedictines and Franciscains who have ancient monasteries and churches. Salzburg also had a riding school the Felsenreitschule which is cut into the rocky mountain face. It has been converted to a concert hall and is part of the Festival Hall and was inaugurated in July 1960 with Der Rosenkavalier of Johann Strauss Jr with a sumptuous decor, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf sang the role of the Marshalin, it was later filmed.
Some of the great musical artists associated with Salzburg Festival, Herbert Von Karajan and Wilhelm Furtwängler (both natives of Salzburg), Bruno Walter, Arturo Toscanini, Richard Tauber, Kirsten Flagstad, more recently Riccardo Muti, Thomas Quasthoff and Philippe Jaroussky and so many others. This will be my fourth visit.
http://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at
Sounds wonderful! Enjoy yourselves!
ReplyDeleteI am in continuous amazement at your cultural experiences; I am envious.
ReplyDeleteHop on the plane and come over.
DeleteCan you imagine what being at Salzburg in the 1920s would have been like (OK, setting aside the creepy Lederhosen nationalism)? You'd probably have seen Reinhardt, Hofmannsthal, Strauss... Actually I thought that Michael Frayn play about Max and Jedermann was much, much better than I'd been led to believe. Probably because like you I was already sympathetic to the protagonist.
ReplyDeleteHave a great time. I hear you may be joining us on the lawns at Glyndebourne - if you can, you must (though of course Strauss's Ariadne is my choice, not Rameau...)
can't wait for Bonnie to get her post cards.
ReplyDeleteJackiesue you have to send us an address for her or we can send them to you to pass along. Please provide us with address.
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