How did the Salzburg festival and Salzburg?

A Poet, a composer, a Director, and a common dream: in the Middle of the First world war, the birth of the renowned hit games. Almost 100 years later, they are magnetic is still an audience.

On the “road, which means the world” in front of the Festspielhaus

Can affect cultural identity? Can you connect international, humanistic Ideal fill it with contents? The European idea to strengthen? Such questions of cultural professionals deal with the end, and the politicians currently in our turbulent time, in the things we take for granted falter and you’re talking about the loss of Value. And most of the time these questions are answered with “Yes”.

World war, loss of Value, contemplation

Similarly, it was in front of a good century, in the year 1917, with the difference that Europe was at that time in the war. In the midst of the disaster, three men of a cosmopolitan Europe, and dreamed of playing, the peace pins.

Hugo von Hofmannsthal was partly of Jewish descent, but as a conservative Catholic

Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Richard Strauss and Max Reinhardt were the names of the three thinkers. Hofmannsthal was a much celebrated Poet, writer and Librettist, has had a great influence on his Generation. Strauss was the most famous composer of his time, and Reinhardt was the main Director and Impresario. To the establishment of a theatre and Opera festivals, the Opera Director Franz Schalk, and the stage designer Alfred Roller, had already thought of that.

They took a decades-old idea that games at the latest after 1876, the year of Foundation of the Bayreuth festival, in the air, had lain, to hold, namely a festival in the birth city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As in Bayreuth, you should be far away from the culture of cities. Or in the words of Hugo von Hofmann neck: “The big city is the place of distraction, a festive performance needs of the collection, which involved, as in the case of which, for the record.”

Richard Strauss was a nationalist German, but knew also of the popularity of his works abroad

At the same time, the Salzburg festival should games, as you should eventually be called, a counter-program to the festival in the North of Bavaria, offer: Were there only Richard Wagner and his ten game-ready plants in focus, it should be here, several composers. In short: The whole world of culture should be mapped.

The dream should play on an age-old Tradition: In the middle ages, Salzburg is the place of Mysteries was, solemn Church festivals and processions. Here 17 is to. Century also the first Opera North of the Alps appear to have been.

Max Reinhardt in Berlin, but celebrated his first successes in Salzburg, long before the start of the festival

Utopia in the midst of the war years

It was a foolhardy thought that was just because of the raging war, illusory. There was also a site of an adequate game. In a promotional brochure for the festival States: “What is the salt in the burgers and the Austrians the courage to do so, in the present moment? Hofmann neck answer: the fact that all The people are now demanding to intellectual pleasures.”

In the Salzburg city population of scepticism was, however, wide. It was feared that the influx of tourists would decimate the scarce supply of food even further. And the Jew Reinhardt, who had bought in 1917, an old castle in the Region, got the growing anti-Semitism of the local population to feel.

In 1918, the First world war over and the once-proud Austro-Hungarian Empire to a fraction of its former size shrunk. In addition to the humanistic Ideals of the Visionary practical Considerations: The tourism had to be boosted, and the former glory of the lost Danube monarchy should be preserved for the future. Where it could work better as a backdrop to this pretty town in the centre of Europe? “The whole city is a stage,” said Max Reinhardt put it.

The whole city is a stage

Anyone for the festival, but a festival for everyone?

22. In August 1920, it was then ready. In accordance with the ancient Tradition of the Mystery plays in Salzburg, a modern theatre piece was performed: Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s “Everyman – the play about The death of the rich man”, directed by Max Reinhardt. In plain, simple language that should move from a religious idea-supported work, to teach without.

Added to the theatre in 1921, in the second year of the festival, concerts. This Bernhardt Paumgartner, the conductor of the Salzburg Mozarteum had organised, with the local forces. Festival co-founder Richard Strauss was not amused: He wanted to play the most prestigious artists of the time at the Salzburg festival – and got them.

With this approach, beat the games immediately. From the third year of 1922, the Opera performances were added to the operas of Mozart but also of Richard Strauss, especially the works that he had created together with the librettist von Hofmannsthal. The three pillars of theatre, concert and Opera games the programmatic framework for the festival. The Felsenreitschule has been used since 1926 as a venue, in the following year, the construction of his own Festspielhaus was completed.

It is known that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, games, the Bayreuth festival will not fail. Sometimes you make it to Salzburg, as it is here in 2017

The Salzburg-Ideal

Up to the present time, Everyone is each year, on the Board of the Salzburg festival – with the exception of the years between 1938 and 1945 After the Anschluss of Austria to Nazi Germany, the piece was declared unfit, because, in Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s family tree, there was a Jew. Max Reinhardt, in turn, sat on the run from the Nazis abroad, he died in 1943 in the US-American exile.

The performance of “Jedermann” in front of the magnificent backdrop of the Salzburg Cathedral 17 actor embodied previously in the title role. After the ritual opening of approximately 200 performances, concerts, theatre pieces and operas – including several new productions per season, then follow.

Meet the festival, the cosmopolitan, and people-connecting Ideals of their founders? Is: Of the approximately 259.000 visitors in the Year 2016, around 80 percent came from outside of the Salzburg area. They came from 81 countries, 41 of which are outside of Europe. Each festival visitors stayed on average 7.2 days and experienced a 4.2 Festival performances.

And: The influx of international guests, the food supply does not become scarce. On the contrary, The revenues from ticket sales amounted to 2016 to a total of 28.6 million euros. The economic factor of the festival, however, is many times greater.


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