SALZBURGFESTIVAL2016

IntroductionbyHelgaRablStadlerand
SvenEricBechtolf

DearAudience,

Shakespeareasksustothinkofourownrelationtotheworldaslikethatofadreamtosleep.
Heregardstheworldasagreatunknownandweareitsinsubstantialissue.Nomorethanfleeting
shadows.
Inrecentmonthsourliveshavechangedatapacenoonecouldhaveforeseen.Thingswe
thoughtwereimpossiblearehappeningbeforeoureyes.Sufferingandwarwhichseemedalongway
fromEuropeandtheWesthavereachedusdirectlyintheformofmillionsofpeopleseekingrefuge.
Ontopofthis,scandals,crisesandsocialupheavaldemandourattentionasmuchasever.Noneofthis
isbyanymeansadream,itisreal,thoughparadoxicallyitalsowouldappeartoconfirmProsperos
statement.Wereallyare,itseemssuchstuffasdreamsaremadeon,powerlessandincapableof
understandingourselvesorevenorderingourworldinapeacefulmanner.
ThepoetFriedrichvonHardenberg,betterknownasNovalis,offersushopeandconsolationby
respondingtothisfrighteningdiscoverywiththewords:Whenwedreamthatwearedreaming,we
areonthevergeofwaking.
Dreamsofthiskind,oneswhichmightperhapsleadtoourwaking,whichhavebeendreamed
bywritersandcomposerssuchasShakespeare,AdsandStrauss,Bernhard,BeckettandGounod
providethebasisoftheSalzburgFestivalsnewstageproductionsinoperaandtheatrefor2016.
WeopentheFestivalwithaworldpremierefromtheBritishcomposerThomasAds,whose
work
TheTempest
causedafuroreinAustrialastyear.Hehasnowcreatedtheopera
The
ExterminatingAngel
fortheSalzburgFestivalafterthesurrealistfilmofthesamenamebytheSpanish
directorLuisBuuel.Theguestsatapartyarepreventedfromleavingthehousebyaninvisible
force
RichardStrausssopera
DieLiebederDanae
ispartofthefestivalshistory.Thecomposer
completedthisworkbetween1938and1940,whichsomehaveinterpretedasunworldlyescapismand

othersasundauntedsupportfortraditionalWesternvalues.Theworldpremierewassheduledfor1944
inSalzburg.However,followingthetragicfailureoftheassassinationattempton20July1944,the
FestivalwascancelledandtherewasnomorethanapublicdressrehearsalconductedbyClemens
Krauss.StraussbadefarewelltotheViennaPhilharmonicdownintheorchestrapitwiththewords:
Gentlemen,Ihopewemeetagaininabetterworld.Thispiececanbeviewedasadreamonthree
differentlevelsamythologicaloneaboutDanaescontemptforgold,aconservativeoneaboutthe
indispensablenatureofWesternvaluesandautopianoneofpotentialrebirthfromaworldinruins.
CharlesGounods
Faust
waswrittenin1859,basedonGoethes
FaustI
,focussingnotonly
onthebroodingscientistFaustandhishellishaccompliceMephistophelesbutalsofarmorethanin
Goethesversionofthesamestoryontheauthentichistoricalcharacterofthechildkiller
Margarethe.Faustissearchingforthesubstancewhichholdstheworldtogether.Hedreamsthe
archetypaldreamofthealchemist,thedreamoffindingakeytotheworldandinMargarethehe
destroyswhathewilllaterrealizeistheendofallwisdominGoethes
FaustII
:Theeternalfeminine
drawsuseveronward!
ThetheatreprogrammeopensintheLandestheaterwithSamuelBecketts
Endgame
,an
apocalypticcomedy,atragedyabouttheinevitableabsurdityofourexistence.Agameabouttheend,
beforetheendandaftertheendallatthesametime.
Shakespearewrote
TheTempest
beforeleavingLondonandthetheatreattheageof52and
returningtohishometownforever.Sadlythenotionthat
TheTempest
isShakespeareslastplayisno
morethanamyth.Neverthelesstheredoesappeartobeanaffinitybetweenthewriterhimselfandthe
banishedmagicianProspero,whobreakshisstaffanddrownshisbookofmagicspellsinthesea.
WithD
erIgnorantundderWahnsinnige
(
TheFoolandtheMadman
)ThomasBernhardwroteaplay
whichhilariouslysettlescountlessscoreswiththetheatre,theoperabusiness,critics,audiencesand
evenartistswhileatthesametimecelebratingthemiraculouspowerofbothmusicandthehuman
voiceatalevelbeyondexplanation.
WestSideStory
premieresatthe2016WhitsunFestival.LeonardBernsteinsmasterpieceis
anadaptationofShakespeares
RomeoandJuliet
.Thesestarcrossedlovershavelongbeena
metaphorforthedreamwhichhopesthatlovemightresolvealltheworldsconflicts,evenfrom
beyondthegrave.Wewillrevivethisproductionaspartofoursummerprogramme.
Mozart
andDaPontescycleofthreemasterpieces,
LenozzediFigaro,

DonGiovanni
and
Cosfantutte
,alsoharboursapparentlyutopiandreams,whethertheseareofsexualitydestabilizing
theclasssystemin
Figaro
,oflibidinousnessbeingpunishedbyHellin
Giovanni
orofanenlightened
viewbeingtakenofpassionin
Cos
.AtthesametimeMozartandhislibrettistkeepsomanydifferent
levelsofmeaninginplaythatoneisforcedtoconcludethatthesetwoarenodreamers,butwide
awake.
Thesethreeproductionsfrom2013,2014,and2015willalsoberevivedin2016with
Cos
fantutte
beingrestagedintheFelsenreitschule.
Concertperformancesof
ManonLescaut
byPucciniand
Thas
byMassenetcanbeheard
andseen.Thethirdoperatobepresentedinconcertform,
Iltemplario
,alsorepresentsoneofthe
themesofourconcertprogramme,whichexplorestheViennaPhilharmonicanditscomposers.Otto
Nicolai,thefounderoftheViennaPhilharmonic,wrotethisoperawhichwasagreatsuccessinits
dayandunjustlyneglectedsincein1840.Othersubstantialcomposerswillbefeaturedinthisseries
includingBrahms,Bruckner,MahlerandStrauss,aswellasleadingcontemporarycomposerssuchas
ArvoPrtandPeterEtvs,bywhomweshallperformtheworldpremiereofamajororatorioand
whowillalsobeshowcasedintheseries
Salzburgcontemporary
alongsideThomasAds,Friedrich
CerhaandGyrgyKurtg.

The
Ouverturespirituelle
willcontrastChristianreligiousmusicfromtheOrientand
Occident.FlorianWiegandpresentshisextensiveprogramme.
Wehopethatthiswillarouseyourcuriosityandlookforwardtobeingabletowelcomeyouto
Salzburginthesummerof2016.

Warmregards,
HelgaRablStadler
SvenEricBechtolf

P.
S. The pictures in this programme are works by the Leica photographer Robert Mertens (Leica
CameraAG),whohascreatedassociativeimagesinspiredbythisyearsproductions.