“With great momentum and a sense of drama” (Die Presse), this Mozart Week opening concert leaves nothing to be desired. González-Monjas “coaxed boundless energy out of the orchestra” (SN). Soprano Lauren Snouffer dazzled with Haydn and pianist Gabriela Montero offered a “fiery performance” (Das Opernmagazin) of Mozart’s piano concerto KV 466: “Montero (…) led the audience into romantic sound worlds, while in the encore she improvised on Cherubino’s “Voi sapete” and ended with Bach “à la Stokowski” (Salzburger Nachrichten).
Wiener Blut
Shortly after Strauss’ death, Adolf Müller Jr. compiled one of the most famous Strauss operettas from motifs from the waltz Wiener Blut (1873) and other works, which continues to carry the magic of Vienna out into the world. Nikolaus Habjan stages the piece at the magical and intimate Schönbrunn Palace Theatre as an imaginative, fast-paced romp. “Staged with charming verve and plenty of wit” (Kleine Zeitung) “By taking the emotions depicted seriously, director Habjan gets everything right when it comes to the eternally difficult subject of operetta. Love, jealousy, vanity and hurt feelings are always relevant” (Die Presse). “Staged with charming verve and plenty of wit”
(Kleine Zeitung)
Die Fledermaus
On 5 April 1874, at what is now Linke Wienzeile, a world premiere took place that changed the genre of operetta and the history of the Theater an der Wien for good. To mark Johann Strauss’ 200th birthday, artistic director Stefan Herheim surprises with a fresh new production of the “queen of operettas”: Musical references that tie back to the Theater an der Wien, political warnings and precise character work make for a truly unique spin on an old classic. “Alina Wunderlin is a delightful grumpy Adele with coloratura qualities, Hulkar Sabirova throws herself wholeheartedly into the role of Rosalinde and Thomas Blondelle is a pompous, sleazy Eisenstein, just as one could wish for” (APA). Chief conductor Petr Popelka “achieves success with the confident and supple orchestra and the enthusiastic and splendid Schoenberg Choir” (Die Presse). “A brilliant performance by conductor and orchestra!” (FAZ)
Salzburg Festival 2025: L’Histoire du Soldat
“A stroke of genius” (FAZ): The Salzburg Festival has pulled off a sensational coup with The Soldier’s Tale at the Salzburg Marionette Theatre, founded in 1913 and a World Heritage Site. World-renowned painter and sculptor Georg Baselitz designed the puppets for Stravinsky’s fairy tale about a poor soldier who makes a pact with the devil. Dominique Horwitz as narrator, the magnificent chamber ensemble led by violin luminary Isabelle Faust, and the expressiveness of the marionettes make this a “musical and theatrical masterpiece” (Süddeutsche Zeitung).
Salzburg Festival 2025: Hotel Metamorphosis
A panopticon of human emotions”: Barrie Kosky combines episodes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses with music by Antonio Vivaldi for the Salzburg Festival, reflecting the full spectrum of Ovid’s narrative art and Vivaldi’s musical work. Cecilia Bartoli has assembled a “world-class” (Kleine Zeitung) cast, and Gianluca Capuano and Les Musiciens du Prince deliver a “highly precise, colourful and exciting performance” (APA). “What a brilliant evening of theatre” (BR Klassik)
Salzburg Festival 2025: Zaide or The Path of Light
Raphaël Pichon, Pygmalion and an “outstanding” (Kurier) cast of singers pull off “a Mozart miracle” (Kronenzeitung) with their new project at the Salzburg Festival. The unfinished singspiel Zaide, excerpts from Davide penitente and Thamos, and concert arias merge into a semi-staged evening that highlights the themes of humanity and freedom in Mozart’s work: “What Raphaël Pichon conjured up from his two excellent ensembles is almost impossible to describe; you simply have to experience it for yourself” (Die Presse). “One of the most powerful experiences of the past decades” (Kurier) “A magnificent quintet of soloists led by the divine Sabine Devieilhe” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Cinderella’s Dream (Aschenbrödels Traum)
Explore a fresh take on the classic Cinderella story! Inspired by Johann Strauss’s unfinished ballet, Axel Ranisch and Martina Eisenreich dream up a unique operetta that blends the original ballet’s history with a modern twist on the fairy tale. Cinderella’s Dream invites the audience on a magical journey of self-discovery, liberation, creativity, and the power of imagination. Martina Eisenreich’s music captures Johann Strauss’s artistic spirit, weaving in familiar motifs while creating a completely original musical world, which conductor Leslie Suganandarajah brings to life formidably: “The orchestra mastered the genre shifts in Eisenreich’s score, which elegantly combined Strauss, feel-good film music and twelve-tone echoes” (Die Presse). ” An accessible, entertaining, contemporary approach to the world of the Waltz King .” (Der Standard)
Salzburg Festival 2025: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Handel’s gripping Baroque opera comes to life as a high-stakes drama of power, passion and intrigue. Dmitri Tcherniakov’s “powerful” (Kurier) production sets political rivalry against a fiery love story in the confines of an underground bunker. Christophe Dumaux is a thrilling Cesare, “with his mercurial countertenor and pointed acting” (Der Standard). At his side, Olga Kulchynska gives her Salzburg debut as a “lyrical” Cleopatra: “Bright high notes, precise filigree technique, youthful freshness: she has it all” (Salzburger Nachrichten). The rest of the cast is equally “superb” (Der Standard), above all Lucile Richardot as Cornelia “with her smouldering mezzo” (BR Klassik) and Federico Fiorio as her son Sesto. Baroque specialist Emmanuelle Haïm conducts her orchestra Le Concert d’Astrée from the harpsichord, “completely in her element” (Salzburger
Nachrichten). A scenic and musical collaboration full of intensity, imagination and electrifying theatre.
Salzburg Festival 2025: The Raft of the Medusa
Henze’s Das Floß der Medusa is one of the most significant political works of 20th-century music. Inspired by Géricault’s painting, it recounts the true story of the 1816 shipwreck of the French frigate Méduse, in which 154 people were abandoned on a raft while those in power saved themselves. Since its premiere, it has stood as a powerful symbol of artistic resistance and remains strikingly relevant today. Henze’s haunting music, which gives voice to the victims of the shipwreck, is performed in Salzburg to perfection: “The ORF RSO Vienna and the choirs perform the piece brilliantly, as does the solo trio, through all the extremes of expression, which, after a sombre woodwind elegy, reach their climax in the finale. Pure horror takes orchestral form” (Der Standard). “Outstanding choirs” (Salzburger Nachrichten)
Iolanta
“Lyrical, rich, uplifting, moving” (Die Presse) In a production that is truly “a feast for the eyes” (Salzburger Nachrichten), director Evgeny Titov sets the story of the blind princess Iolanta in a visually magnificent but mysterious flower garden. The musical performances complete this baroque painting come to life, led by Sonya Yoncheva with her “gloriously rich” (Opera Now) soprano. The orchestra under Tugan Sokhiev convices with a “sonically intense” interpretation (Kronenzeitung). “Titov’s staging received heroic performances from all concerned, led by Yoncheva who absolutely sang her heart out as Iolanta. Her top was thrilling, matched in duet by tenor Dmytro Popov, and her acting was utterly believable” (Opera Now)