Festival of Salzburg

Salzburger Festspiele

The Festival of Salzburg ( Salzburger Festspiele ) is a Festival of opera, Théâtre and Classical music created in 1920 by max Reinhardt and Hugo von Hofmannsthal, and which takes place each be with Salzburg (Austria). It is one of the festivals most famous of the world, in particular for the music and the opera, and it attracts each year nearly 240.000 visitors, of which two thirds from abroad.

History

Origins

The Festival of Salzburg is created in 1918 on the initiative of the director max Reinhardt and of the writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal, supported by the type-setter Richard Strauss, the leader Franz Schalk and the decorator Alfred Roller. It is a question of getting, in Austria weakened and impoverished by the war, an use of summer to the artists - actors, singers, musicians of the Opéra (who give their concerts as a Philharmonic orchestra of Vienna). The small city of Salzburg is selected for its calm, its seal Baroque and its artistic prestige: Mozart was born there in 1756.

The first festival is open the August 22nd 1920 by a representation of the Jedermann of Hofmannstahl on the place of the Cathédrale; since, the festival starts traditionally with a representation of this part on this same place.

Inter-war period

The first concerts are given in 1921, and the first operas - four of Mozart - in 1922. The repertory makes the good share with Mozart and Strauss, to which operas of Verdi ( Falstaff ) are added and Beethoven ( Fidelio ). In 1925, a broadcasting of the Don Pasquale of Made green directed by Bruno Walter inaugurates a long tradition of retransmissions.

In 1923, one gives to the Hypochondriac of Molière. The festival does not take place in 1924 for financial reasons.

As of the Years 1920 and 1930, the large artists of Austria and Europe occur there, the leaders Bruno Walter, Arturo Toscanini, Clemens Krauss, Fritz Busch, the directors Lothar Wallerstein and Rudolf Hartmann, the actors Alexander Moissi and Werner Krauss, the singers Lotte Lehmann and Richard Tauber, etc

In 1925, a Palate of the festivals, built by the architect Clemens Holzmeister, is inaugurated. The Manège of the rocks ( Felsenreitschule ) is also arranged in 1926 by Holzmeister to be able to accommodate representations in the open air.

In 1928 appears the symbol of the festival, which mixes the silhouette with Mönschberg and the Castle, red and white flag of the Land , and a mask of comedy. The festival will obtain in 1936 a brass band composed by Joseph Messner, which introduces the broadcast retransmissions.

the Knight with the pink of Strauss and Hofmannstahl, one of essential works of the festival, enters to the repertory in 1929.

In 1931, the Philharmonic orchestra of Budapest is the first foreign formation to occur with the festival.

The time of national-socialisme

After the come to power of the Nazis in Germany and the beginning of the Third '' Reich '', Austria becomes the refuge of artists who cannot or do not want to appear any more in Germany, and which finds in Salzburg the occasion to meet within the framework of a high level cultural event, with little distance from the German borders. Thus Bruno Walter, Jew, settles in Austria, and the Italian Arturo Toscanini, firmly antifascist, cancels all his participations in the Festival of Bayreuth and folds up himself on Salzburg, from which it becomes one accustomed between 1934 and 1937.

The German number of visitors tomb of more than fifteen thousand with less than nine hundreds because of the tax of 1000 Reichsmark S on the visa S for Austria. German artists occur there however; Herbert von Karajan begins there in 1933 and Wilhelm Furtwängler in 1937.

In 1938, Austria is annexed with the Germany. Toscanini and other artists leave the festival and emigrate, in particular with the the United States. Faust and Jedermann is withdrawn from the program, and the Palate of the festivals is transformed in the direction of the esthetic mode.

In 1943, the program is reduced and the festival is famous Salzburger Theater- und Musiksommer (Be musical and theatrical of Salzburg). Reinhardt dies in New York the October 31st. In 1944 will be given only two symphonic concerts to replace the festival, because of the proclamation of the “All-out war” and of the prohibition of all the festivals after the attack of July 20th against Hitler.

Post-war period

As of the summer 1945, the festival begins again, with a program reduced to a broadcast production of Removal with the seraglio of Mozart, one of Der Tor und der Tod of Hofmannstahl, and some concerts. 1946 sees the return of Jedermann , which will consequently be given on the place of the Cathedral in opening of each festival. The foreign artists return to Salzburg, like Georg Solti or Rolf Liebermann. The Palate of the festivals is again put in building site so that the elements Nazis are withdrawn from it.

In 1947, Bertolt Brecht, with the support of the type-setter Gottfried von Einem, receives Austrian nationality in order to be associated with the direction with the Festival and in exchange with a work with order, Salzburger Totentanz ( Dance of died of Salzburg ); however, it settles in East Germany in 1949 and leaves the part to the state of outline, which puts an end to the project, and causes the thanks of von Einem of the board of directors in 1951.

Years of post-war period its marked by the competition between Wilhelm Furtwängler, which returns to the direction of orchestra, and Herbert von Karajan, native of Salzburg and associated with the resumption of the festival. Furtwängler, using of its influence and its prestige against its brilliance and ambitious junior, manages to draw aside it from the festival.

The Karajan era

Furtwängler dies the November 30th 1954. The way is from now on free for Karajan, which hopes to be able to carry out in its birthplace its musical and dramatic designs. He becomes artistic director in 1956, and its Berliner musicians, traditionally rivals of their colleagues Viennese whose Salzburg is the exclusive domain, is invited regularly starting from 1957.

In 1955, Franz Kokoschka draws the decorations and costumes of a production of the Magic Flute , which Solti directs.

The July 26th 1960, the New Palate of the festivals, conceived like the Old by Clemens Holzmeister, is inaugurated by a representation of the Chevalier to the pink of Strauss and Hofmannstahl, in a setting in sumptuous scene which will be taken again in 1983.

In 1964, El Salvador de Madariaga inaugurates by a Éloge of Salzburg the tradition of the inaugural speeches.

Karajan, in spite of the creation of the Festival of Easter of Salzburg in 1967, continuous to animate the festival and contributes to maintain its international repute.

Patient and tired, it leaves the board of directors in 1988; he will die the July 16th of the following year, during the repetitions of a ball masked of Verdi.

The festival today

The renewal starts with the entry with the board of directors of Gerard Mortier, Hans Landesmann, and Henrich Wiesmüller.

In 1992, Mortier, then directing of the royal Théâtre of the Currency of Brussels become artistic director, with for mission of opening the programming and of widening and of renovating the public. During its ten seasons, it makes enter to the repertory works of the 20th century and program of the directors of orientation modern or anticonformist, which will be worth to him the hostility of a preserving part of the public; it also invites the great names of the revival musicologic baroque, like Nikolaus Harnoncourt. In 2001, its last production ( the Bat of Johann Strauss wire, a expensive work with the patriots Austrian), in the shape of thumb your nose to its detractors (sexual symbolic system, drug, etc, in a setting in scene of Hans Neuenfels), televised on line, made scandal. Its opponents will make print an obituary on full page in a local newspaper.

The type-setter Peter Ruzicka succeeds to him in 2002.

In 2006, two hundreds fiftieth birthday of the birth of Mozart, the festival must see succeeding the operation “Mozart 22”, with the representation of the twenty-two operas of the child of the city. On this occasion the Petit Palais of the festivals will reopen, transformed and from now on called Maison of Mozart ( Haus für Mozart ).

Statute

The federal law of July 12th, 1950 creates to manage the Festival Salzburger Festspielfonds (Funds of the Festival of Salzburg), equipped with the autonomous legal personality.

It is directed by:

the president of the Board of directors, today Helga Rabl-Stadler;
the artistic director and intendant, Peter Ruzicka;
the business manager, Gerbert Schwaighofer.

Financing

The budget of the Festival is of 46 million euros approximately, coming:

for 50% (24 million), of ticketting;
for 10% (5 million), givers, partners and benefactors;
for 10% (5 million), of additional incomes (hiring of the rooms, rebroadcast rights radio operator or televised, coproductions, etc);
for 30% (13 million), of versed complementary subsidies at the end of the exercise by the Federal government (12%), the '' Land '' of Salzburg (6%), the town of Salzburg (6%) and the Funds for the development of tourism of the Land of Salzburg (6%).

Uses

The Festival known for the knack of its is accustomed, which carries very mainly of the evening dresses, even during the hot summer dayss or for the representations in morning; this does not have anything obligatory however.

Its prices are particularly high, a place in the forefront which can reach 360 € in the current tariff scales.

Places of the representations

The representations of the festival take place mainly:

with the Large palace of the festivals;
with the House of Mozart;
with the Horse-gear of the rocks;
on the place of the Cathedral;
with the Mozarteum.

See the other places of representations on Internet site of the Festival .

Inaugural speech

Starting from 1964, the opening of the festival is marked by a solemn speech given by a personality of arts or the policy. After El Salvador de Madariaga with a Praise of Salzburg , will follow one another in particular Clemens Holzmeister, Bernhard Paumgartner, Eugene Ionesco, Giorgio Strehler, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Karl Popper, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Václav Havel, Wolfgang Rihm, the 14 {{E}} Dalaï Lama and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. The tradition is stopped in 2005 because of the opposition of the new governor of Salzburg.

For the complete listing, to see the article

Other festivals

The Festival of Easter of Salzburg, created in 1967 by Karajan, is completely independent of the festival of summer, with which it carries out coproductions however.

Festival of Pentecost of Salzburg

Starting from 1973, on the initiative of Karajan, in the Concerts of Pentecost ( Pfingstkonzerte ), produced by the festival, are given each year at the time of the Pentecost. Into 1998, they are transformed into Festival of Pentecost of Salzburg ( Salzburger Pfingstfestspiele ), centered on the Baroque music under the direction of Hans Landesmann. Starting from 2007, they will be devoted more especially to Neapolitan type-setters of the 18th century, under the musical direction of Riccardo Muti.

References and sources

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