Final Report on the 2021 Salzburg Festival

“Rarely have we felt so clearly that a festival means leaving the everyday behind. And rarely have we experienced the effect of participation and community so intensely, especially in times of crisis. The power of theatre is manifested in identification – through commiseration, sharing even the darkest thoughts and most horrific deeds, through the shock created by the truthful presence of protagonists on stage and in the audience.”

Elektra, photo SF/Bernd Uhlig

“During this, our second anniversary summer, we fulfilled our promise of presenting all those productions we had planned for 2020, but were prevented by the pandemic. Creating a narrative for the centenary, we focused on two completely different ways of perceiving the world. On the one hand, that of the radical individualist – Don Giovanni, for example, but also Richard III or Elektra – who acts without human ties, without systems creating order, almost anarchically. As if on a rampage, Mozart’s Don Giovanni completed his ghostly trajectory towards his own destruction in Romeo Castellucci’s interpretation.”

Don Giovanni, photo SF/Ruth Walz

“This unbridled individualism was counterbalanced by a collective model, as exemplified by Luigi Nono’s Intolleranza 1960. Ingo Metzmacher and Jan Lauwers translated Nono’s appeal for justice into our current reality. This haunting cry for humanism will reverberate for a long time yet; this reflection on tolerance and intolerance was presumably never more important than it is today,” says Artistic Director Markus Hinterhäuser.

Intolleranza 1960, photo SF/Maarten Vanden Abeele

“As the last Festival weekend begins, we are delighted to report threefold success. We were able to offer a safe Festival during times of the pandemic. We presented opera, drama and concert productions which are only possible at the Salzburg Festival with its ideal rehearsal and performance conditions; and we were able to register ticket revenues exceeding all our hopes. To me personally, this is the perfect ending to my time at the Festival. My presidency began in 1995 with the 75-year anniversary and now ends with the second part of the centenary. I am very grateful to fate for allowing me to help shape 27 Festival seasons,” Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler summarizes.

Maria Stuart, photo SF/Matthias Horn

“To me, this Festival was special in many ways: the artists gave us the gift of outstanding interpretations which will remain in our memories for a long time, after this long period of coronavirus-induced standstill. We thank our unique audience, which contributed to many intense concert experiences with its curious and attentive manner of listening. We consider ourselves fortunate that despite the challenging organizational circumstances, we were able to present such a comprehensive and diverse concert programme. As the media representative of the Salzburg Festival, I am particularly pleased that together with our faithful partners, such as UNITEL, ORF, ZDF, ARTE, 3sat, Medici, Mezzo, Fidelio and NHK, we have managed to bring this year’s Festival to an international community of enthusiasts via 16 audiovisual productions and 24 radio recordings,” says Florian Wiegand, Director of Concerts and Media.

Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno, photo SF/Monika Rittershaus

The 2021 Salzburg Festival

163 performances in 46 days at 16 performance venues as well as 68 performances of 6 productions of the youth programme ‘jung&jede*r’, 4 opera camps and 10 education programmes at 20 venues from May to August and 4 participatory projects involving more than 700 children and teenagers from 38 school classes, 28 of them from outside of Salzburgplus additional events as part of ‘Zum Fest’ (Centenary Events)

Così fan tutte, photo SF/Monika Rittershaus

32 Opera Performances

Tosca, photo SF/Marco Borrelli

Don Giovanni
Elektra
Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno
Così fan tutte
Intolleranza 1960
Tosca
Neither (in concert)
La damnation de Faust (in concert)

La damnation de Faust, photo SF/Marco Borrelli

Tosca, photo SF/Matthias Horn

44 Drama Performances

Richard the Kid & the King, photo SF/Monika Rittershaus

Jedermann
Richard the kid & the king
Das Bergwerk zu Falun
Maria Stuart
Readings
Dramatic Exploration

Das Bergwerk zu Falun, photo SF/Ruth Walz

87 Concerts

Ouverture spirituelle Pax
Vienna Philharmonic
Guest Orchestras
Heavenwards – Time with Bach
Still life – Time with Feldman

Chamber Concerts
Canto Lirico

Maurizio Pollini, Piano, photo SF/Marco Borrelli

Song Recitals

Solo Recitals

Mozart Matinees Mozarteum Orchestra
Church Concerts
Camerata Salzburg

Jan Lisiecki (Piano), Matthias Goerne (Baritone), photo SF/Marco Borrelli

Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award
Young Singers Project
Special Concert Presentations

Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award

Joel Sandelson, photo SF/Marco Borelli

Joel Sandelson is the winner of the 2021 Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award. The quality of his concert with the Camerata Salzburg at the Mozarteum Foundation convinced the international jury chaired by Manfred Honeck. Newly reconceived this year, the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award was presented for the tenth time. A total of 250 candidates applied, eight of whom reached the semi-finals in May 2021. The prize carries a cash value of € 15,000 and is awarded every two years to a young conductor aged 35 or under. Furthermore, the award winner will conduct a Festival concert in August 2022 with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna and a young soloist at the beginning of a promising career. This concert will be recorded and released on CD as part of the edition Salzburg Festival Documents. Since 2021 the award has been made possible through financing by Rolex.

Festival Brooch Recipients

The Festival Brooch with Rubies was awarded to Edith Clever this summer. “Audience and critics agree: when Edith Clever is on stage, it is always a feast,” Festival President Helga Rabl – Stadler voiced the gratitude of the Directorate to this exceptional artist. Edith Clever made her Festival debut on 26 July 1994 as Cleopatra in Anthony and Cleopatra, directed by Peter Stein, who began his trilogy of Shakespeare’s Roman tragedies with this piece. During 54 of her 119 Festival performances so far, the actress was part of the Jedermann ensemble, in which she embodied Jedermann’s Mother in Michael Sturminger’s production between 2017 and 2020.

Edith Clever, photo SF/Matthias Horn

For this year’s Festival summer, Bettina Hering, Director of Drama, was able to engage Edith Clever in the role of Death. The Golden Festival Brooch was awarded to Dr. Josef Schlömicher-Thier. On behalf of the Festival’s Directorate, President Helga Rabl-Stadler presented the brooch to the Festival’s physician at the Patrons’ Lounge of the Großes Festspielhaus after an event hosted by the Austrian Voice Institute entitled Voicecare on Stage – from the Past to the Future.

Jedermann 2021: Lars Eidinger (Everyman), Verena Altenberger (Paramour), Ensemble, photo SF/Matthias Horn

Festival physician Josef Schlömicher-Thier celebrates his 25-year anniversary of his service to the Salzburg Festival. He is available for medical consultations to the Festival’s performing artists and staff. Since the ENT specialist has been working for the Festival, no staged production had to be cancelled. He was also involved in formulating the Covid-19 Prevention Plan developed and endorsed by Executive Director Lukas Crepaz, a plan which is under continuous review. (After Press materials).

Marijan Zlobec