Music - Western literature and revolt: Salzburg Festival 2024
The Salzburg Festival is focusing on European literature and artists from Eastern Europe next summer. According to the program published on Wednesday, two of the three new opera productions are settings of Dostoyevsky novels: star director Peter Sellars presents Prokofiev's "The Gambler" with soprano Asmik Grigorian, while his colleague Krzysztof Warlikowski takes on the modern opera "The Idiot" by Mieczyslaw Weinberg.
According to artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser, the program for summer 2024 is all about revolt. Many of the selected works deal with the rejection of a world that demands more from you than you want or are able to, said Hinterhäuser at the program presentation in Salzburg. The protagonists of the operas are people "who perform a kind of rebellion against this world".
The new head of drama in Salzburg, Marina Davydova, was hired by the festival management to give the Austrian festival's theater section a more international orientation. However, the first season program of the theater expert, who emigrated from Russia, hardly looks beyond the European horizon. Among other things, Thomas Mann's novel "Magic Mountain" will be performed as a play. Krystian Lupa from Poland, who specializes in literary adaptations, is staging the work. In addition, Swiss director Thom Luz is transforming the historical miniature stories from Stefan Zweig's "Sternstunden der Menschheit" into a musical theater production.
Director Nicolas Stemann's project "The Oresteia" is dedicated to the themes of violence and politics based on ancient dramas. As every year, the 2024 festival season begins with Hofmannsthal's "Jedermann". Philipp Hochmair and Deleila Piasko take on the leading roles for the first time after last summer's production caused mixed reactions.
Female authors and composers do not appear in the festival's opera and theater program. The direction is also almost entirely in male hands. Mariame Clément stands out as an exception with her production of Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffmann".
When it comes to selecting conductors, most of whom are also male, the festival continues to rely on the Greek-Russian star Teodor Currentzis. The maestro, who was disinvited elsewhere due to his silence on the Ukraine war, will conduct a revival of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" in Salzburg. Conductors Christian Thielemann and Daniel Barenboim are also expected. The latter will bring his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Israeli and Palestinian musicians to Salzburg.
From July 19 to August 31, 172 performances can be seen and heard in Salzburg. This includes a dense concert program with a focus on the composer Arnold Schönberg, whose 150th birthday is next year. His music is still considered problematic by some, said concert director Florian Wiegand about the pioneer of twelve-tone music. "We consider him far too important to avoid him," Wiegand made clear.
Salzburg Festival
Read also:
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
- With live stream! Gawkers film dying man
- Is Saarland threatened with economic collapse?
- The modern opera "The Idiot" by Mieczyslaw Weinberg will be one of the two opera productions based on Dostoyevsky novels at the Salzburg Festival, with Krzysztof Warlikowski operating as the director.
- The festival's theater section in Salzburg is set to receive a more international orientation with the hiring of Marina Davydova, who will give emphasis to European literature and theater productions.
- In the upcoming Salzburg Festival 2024, the focus is on revolt and the rejection of a world that demands more than what people are able to give, as stated by artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser.
- The Austrian festival's Salzburg Festival program features a wide range of performances, including a musical theater production based on Stefan Zweig's "Sternstunden der Menschheit," directed by Swiss director Thom Luz.
- Teodor Currentzis, the Greek-Russian star conductor, will once again bring his expertise to the Salzburg Festival, conducting a revival of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" as a part of the dense concert program focused on Arnold Schönberg's music.
Source: www.stern.de
