SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2016 FOUR WORLD PREMIERES. July 22-August 31.
The Exterminating Angel. Halleluja – Oratorium balbulum. Eine blassblaue Vision. Hommage à Kurtág.
The Salzburg Festival has always been a major initiator of new works. During the upcoming Festival summer, you may look forward to no less than four world premieres: works by Thomas Adès, Peter Eötvös, Friedrich Cerha and Mark Simpson will be performed for the very first time.
The central work of the summer 2016 is the opera The Exterminating Angel by the British composer and pianist Thomas Adès. This commission from the Salzburg Festival, a co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Den Kongelige Opera in Copenhagen, opens the series of opera performances on July 28, 2016 at the Haus für Mozart. Adès himself will conduct; Tom Cairns directs. Additional works by Adès will be performed as part of the series Salzburg contemporary.
Another focus of this series is dedicated to Peter Eötvös. On July 30, the Vienna Philharmonic performs the world premiere of his Halleluja – Oratorium balbulum as part of its concert cycle at the Großes Festspielhaus. The work contains four fragments for mezzo-soprano, narrator, chorus and orchestra, was written in 2015 and commissioned by the Salzburg Festival together with Vienna’s Konzerthaus/Wien Modern, the Tonhalle Society Zurich, Müpa Budapest – Palace of the Arts, the WDR in Cologne and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Daniel Harding will conduct. You may also look forward to Iris Vermillion and Topi Lehtipuu as soloists. Peter Simonischek takes on the role of narrator. Furthermore, the Chorus of the Hungarian Radio presents itself.
Chronologically, the next world premiere on the programme of the 2016 Salzburg Festival is performed by the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra on August 11, when Cornelius Meister conducts Eine blassblaue Vision (2013/14) by Friedrich Cerha, whose 90th birthday we celebrate as part of Salzburg contemporary – like that of his colleague György Kurtág, who also turns 90 this year.
Mark Simpson is currently composing a Hommage à Kurtág for clarinet, viola and piano, to be given its world premiere on August 14 at the Mozarteum Foundation. Mark Simpson will play the clarinet part himself, presenting the homage together with violist Antoine Tamestit and pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
Austria, Salzburger Festspiele/Salzburg Festival – Information and Tips
The Salzburg Festival is a summer annual event that began in 1920. Concerts, operas, and drama performances make the repertoire of this festival among the most varied in the world.
Author Hugo von Hofmannsthal, composer Richard Strauss, director Max Reinhardt, and many other notable musicians have played significant roles in establishing this festival. While the festival originally consisted only of concerts, in 1922 four of Mozart’s performances were staged, forever altering the program.
Over the years, the festival has been attended by some very famous guests, including Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Anna Netrebko and Gerard Depardieu. As the festival gets underway, Salzburg becomes alive with music, and people can watch Hofmannsthal’s Everyman being performed in the cathedral square.
The festival also accommodates younger audiences, as the program specially includes Opera for Children, Opera Introduction for Children, and opera camps.
This year the festival program consists of many different dramas, concerts, and operas, including Die Eroberung von Mexico, Le nozzle di Figaro, Norma, and Clavigo.
Tips: Ticket Information
There are approximately 250 performances during the festival, and ticket sales began at the end of March.
One should consider purchasing tickets in advance.
Beyond the Festival
A hotel in Salzburg’s Old Town would offer a chance to properly experience the beauty of Salzburg.
The For Everyman performance on the cathedral square tickets costs only 5 euros.
The Easter Festival is another nice occasion to attend in Salzburg.
Know before you go
The dress code is formal.
General Information:
Salzburger Festival
Grosses Festspielhaus
Hofstallgasse 1
A-5020 Salzburg, Austria
Box Tel.: +43 (662) 84 45 01
Fax: +43 (662) 804 57 60
Web: www.salzburgfestival.at
Season: July 22-August 31, 2016
Posted by Nadia Kovarskaya
