Everything about The Salzburg Festival totally explained
The
Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of
music and
drama. It is held each summer (for 5 weeks starting in late July) within the
Austrian town of
Salzburg, the birthplace of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In modern time there's also an annual
Salzburg Easter Festival held by the same organization.
The summer festival was first founded in
1877 but was discontinued in
1910.
At the close of
World War I in 1918, its revival was championed by five men now regarded as the founders: the poet and dramatist
Hugo von Hofmannsthal, the composer
Richard Strauss, the director of the Salzburg City Theater
Max Reinhardt, the scenic designer
Alfred Roller and the conductor
Franz Schalk. The Festival was officially reborn on
22 August 1920 with a performance of Hofmannsthal's play
Jedermann on the steps of Cathedral Square. The practice has become a tradition, and Jedermann is now always performed at Cathedral Square.
In 1926 the old Archbishop's stable
Felsenreitschule was converted into a theater and the Festival Hall (
Salzburger Festspielhaus) opera house opened its doors. As this summer festival gained fame and statue as the premiere venue for opera, drama play, and classical concert presentation, its musical repertory concentrated on Mozart and Strauss, but other works, such as
Verdi's
Falstaff and
Beethoven's
Fidelio were also performed.
1934 to
1937 represents a golden period when the famed conductors
Toscanini and
Bruno Walter conducted many performances. In
1936, it featured a performance by the
Trapp Family Singers, whose story was later dramatized as the musical and film
The Sound of Music. The shot of the Trapps singing in the competition features Felsenreitschule Theater. In 1937,
Boyd Neel and his orchestra premiered
Benjamin Britten’s
Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge at the Festival.
The Festival's popularity suffered a major blow once Austria was
annexed into Germany in 1938, though it remained in operation until closing temporarily in 1943. With the end of
World War II, the Salzburg Festival reopened in
1945 immediately following the Allied victory in Europe.
Post World War II Festivals
The post-war Festival slowly regained its prominence as the premiere summer opera festival especially in works by Mozart.
In 2006 the Festival celebrated the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth by staging all 22 of his operatic works (including 2 unfinished operas), to great acclaim. All 22 were filmed and were released to the general public in November 2006.
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