Festival

All Mozart in Salzburg – also at Whitsun

The Mozart opera "La Clemenza di Tito" is also on the program at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival after the Mozart Week. In the picture: Alexandra Marcellier and Cecilia Bartoli (right) as Sesto.

(Bild: © Marco Borrelli)

This year, Cecilia Bartoli can no longer ignore the child prodigy: the Whitsun Festival under the sign of Mozart

Cecilia Bartoli has been artistic director of the Whitsun Festival for twelve years now, and in all that time she has never devoted any of her attention to her favorite composer, Salzburg's genius loci. But this omission will be made up for this year on the Whitsun weekend with a concentrated load of Mozart. What awaits us

"La Clemenza di Tito" - again

Last staged semi-staged by Rolando Villazon at the Mozart Week in January, there will be a completely new production of the Mozart opera by Robert Carsen at Whitsun. This is particularly interesting musically because the director is making her stage debut as Sesto and tenor Daniel Behle, one of the most prominent Mozart singers of our time, is taking on the title role.

"A great journée" - another opera

Strictly speaking, an operatic pastiche, a common 18th century practice to bring a cross-section of contemporary masterpieces to provincial stages. For Whitsun, director Davide Livermore is creating a staged opera gala from Mozart's popular Da Ponte operas. The plot: a high-caliber Mozart ensemble is stranded at an international airport. They pass the time at the gate with arias from Mozart's popular Da Ponte operas. With names such as Cecilia Bartoli, Lea Desandre, Rolando Villazon and Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, the ensemble in the new story is also top-class in reality.

The usual suspects

In addition to the concert content (popular hits such as the "Paris" & "Jupiter" Symphony and Mass in C minor), this also includes the performers, for example pianist András Schiff. After his piano concert at the Mozart Week at Whitsun, he returns to the Salzach with a series of sonatas and works for solo piano. The recital on Whit Monday is a comparatively inexpensive tip not only for fans of the accomplished Mozart interpreter.

But there is also an exciting new addition: the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Paavo Järvi are making their first guest appearance at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival and will perform the aforementioned symphonies in the Grosses Festspielhaus.

And what else?

In addition to Mozart, Plácido Domingo will also be celebrated on Whit Monday. Even if Mozart has never really played a major role in the career of the Spanish star singer, the city of Salzburg has. Domingo has been performing on the Salzach for 50 years, reason enough to celebrate him with a gala at the festival finale.