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DW
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- DW
Salzburg Festival 2025: Between power struggles and hope – DW – 07/17/2025
This year's program mirrors the state of the world. Bloody conflicts and power-hungry figures take the stage by storm — but the festival hopes for light at the end of the tunnel. Theater is a reflection of the human experience, with all its emotions and conflicts. That's why the team behind this year's Salzburg Festival, led by artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser, has put together a program that embodies the crises happening around the world. Bloodshed and power struggles are thus dominating not only events in the world today but also the festival itself (July 18 to August 31). The program spans brutal rivalries from antiquity to the First World War. There have always been people like Trump and Putin, says Hinterhäuser. The lust for power has been part of world history. Thus, it comes as no surprise that power, that universal drug, has inspired numerous operas. For instance, George Frideric Handel's "Giulio Cesare in Egitto" about Roman general Julius Caesar will be staged, just like Gaetano Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda," which is dedicated to Scottish queen, Mary Stuart. Mozart is represented with his opera "Mitridate, re di Ponto," about the ruler of the fallen empire of Pontus in Asia Minor, and Verdi's "Macbeth" tells the story of the royal army commander and later Scottish king. And finally, "The Last Days of Mankind," a play based on Karl Kraus' disturbing book, deals with the horrors of World War I. The rulers of the past have one thing in common: Their power is crumbling. And each reacts differently to the inevitable end — whether with rigidity, fear, despair or a choleric attempt to escape fate. Opera, musical theater and stage plays act as a magnifying glass, illuminating the various scenarios of their demise. "This gives us, the audience, the opportunity to act," says Markus Hinterhäuser. The performing arts open up "spaces of change, of transformation." The festival's website says that around 222,500 tickets are available for a total of 174 opera, drama and concert performances. Musical theater is traditionally the program's flagship, and this year it features 12 productions ranging from Baroque to contemporary works. With both unconventional and traditional performances by big-name soloists — such as the annual production of "Jedermann" (or "Everyman") on the steps of the Salzburg Cathedral — the festival remains true to the guiding principle established over 100 years ago by theater producers Max Reinhardt and Hugo von Hoffmannsthal: To offer something for everyone. Among others, director Peter Sellars and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen leading the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra will present a daring new production titled "One Morning Turns into an Eternity." They will combine Arnold Schoenberg's monodrama "Erwartung" (Expectation) with the "Der Abschied" (The Farewell) from Gustav Mahler's symphony "Lied von der Erde" (Song of the Earth) — Schoenberg's role model. There is also the play "The Blizzard," based on a book by Vladimir Sorokin, a well-known Russian writer who fled from Putin and his followers. In a deadly storm, his hero, a young doctor, searches for light and hope. Even the Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis, a controversial figure on account of his dual Russian citizenship and his unwillingness to distance himself from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, will be back in 2025 with his Utopia Orchestra, an ensemble that Currentzis founded specifically for performances in the West. In December 2024, the scandal surrounding the dismissal of Russian festival director Marina Davydova overshadowed the presentation of the Salzburg program. The dramaturge — who is also a vocal critic of the Putin regime — was dismissed for breach of contract: Davydova had worked for another festival without informing nor getting authorization to do so from the Salzburg Festival. Apart from that, the festival program shows a great deal of solidarity with artists who have turned their backs on Putin's empire: for example, Russian directors Kirill Serebrennikov (Sorokin's "The Blizzard"), Dmitri Tcherniakov (Handel's "Giulio Cesare in Egitto") and Evgeny Titov (Chekhov's "Three Sisters" in the version by the recently deceased Peter Eotvos) are all participating in Salzburg. "I make no secret of the fact that, as a pianist, I am a great admirer of the Russian pianistic tradition," Salzburg Festival director Hinterhäuser told DW. Grigory Sokolov, Arcadi Volodos, Evgeny Kissin, Daniil Trifonov and Alexander Malofeev will perform in Salzburg. They will honor composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich in particular with a series of concerts marking the 50th anniversary of his death on August 9. There are also plans for a reading by Ukrainian author Marianna Kiyanovska from her multi-award-winning work "The Voices of Babyn Yar," in which she recounts the murder of more than 30,000 Jews by the Nazis in September 1941.
New York Times
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
At Salzburg, a Modern Opera About Timeless Dreams and Realities
On a hot, drizzly afternoon in late June, a rehearsal of Peter Eotvos's 'Three Sisters,' one of the four new opera productions at this summer's Salzburg Festival, erupted in dainty tinkling. The opera's cast members sat in the middle of a rehearsal room and tapped spoons against empty teacups. The conductor Maxime Pascal, flanked by two pianos, nodded approvingly at the sounds of clinking, clattering and rattling. On the large copy of the score that lay in front of him, each tap was precisely notated, and there was a visual key illustrating different techniques: tapping with the tip or the stem of a teaspoon, continuous stirring, and setting a spoon down on a saucer. 'Peter wrote this moment because it's a bit boring,' Pascal explained with a slight chuckle during a break in the rehearsal. 'The three sisters are very bored, and there is this kind of melancholy.' Based on Anton Chekhov's 1900 play about siblings in a Russian provincial town who dream of a better, more fulfilling life in Moscow, the opera is unconventional in ways that are, by turns, playful and daring. The four main female characters — Olga, Masha and Irina as well as their sister-in-law, Natasha — are performed by countertenors, the highest male voice type. In addition to china and cutlery, the score calls for two musical groups: a pit band (referred to as the ensemble) of 18 instruments that are identified with specific characters, and a 50-piece orchestra that plays from elsewhere in the theater. (For the Salzburg performances, the orchestra will play from a large hidden balcony that is behind and above the rows of seating in the Felsenreitschule, a cavernous indoor theater that is carved into a cliff.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
RTÉ News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Behind the music - Lotte Betts-Dean
The West Cork Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary between 27 June and 6 July in Bantry with a programme including a performance from Australian mezzo soprano Lotte Betts Dean. We asked her the BIG questions . . . Tell us three things about yourself . . . I am addicted to coffee, Manchego cheese, Haribo tangtastics, sneakers and nail extensions. My favourite person in the world is my two-year-old nephew Hugo, closely followed by his mother, my younger sister Kiki. I was born in Berlin and was raised bilingual, for which I am extremely grateful. How would you describe your music? Varied!! I perform all kinds of classical music, from baroque to opera to song to new music, as well as non-classical things like pop covers, jazz and folk. I love doing all sorts and am never bored. Who are your musical inspirations? Sinéad O'Connor, Anne-Sofie von Otter, Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX, Cocteau Twins, Chet Baker, Dame Janet Baker, and my father, composer and violist Brett Dean. What was the first gig you ever went to? It would have been an orchestral concert by the Berlin Philharmonic, of which my father was a member, when I was a toddler! I do remember my first opera, which was a particularly grizzly production of Boris Godunov at Salzburg Festival when I was seven years old. I loved it. What was the first record you ever bought? The first album was Britney's debut album (#freeBritney forever) and the first single (remember those?!) was Whitney Houston's My Love is Your Love, a song I still adore. What's your favourite song right now? I've been falling asleep to Kali Malone's solo experimental pipe organ album The Sacrificial Code for a month. It is a godsend. Favourite lyric of all time? Don't have a favourite, but a lot of Joni Mitchell's lyrics floor me every time I hear them. The flow, the casualness, the unexpected shocking profundity. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be? This is SUCH a cruel question!!! Can I ask for one piece of music? Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium. My website, via my management company Askonas Holt, or on socials: @dottelettsbean on Instagram / @lottebettsdean on x.
San Francisco Chronicle
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Here's where to watch Esa-Pekka Salonen conduct after S.F. Symphony departure
As the San Francisco Symphony's 2024-25 season comes to an end, so does outgoing Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen's tenure. The Finnish conductor and composer, who stepped into the role after Michael Tilson Thomas retired in 2020, announced his impending departure in March 2024. Since then, the institution has been embroiled in controversy — and nowhere near hiring a replacement. What's more, after Salonen's last scheduled concert on June 14, during which he will conduct Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, 'Resurrection,' it doesn't seem Bay Area audiences will be able to catch him again at Davies Symphony Hall anytime soon. While a joint statement from Symphony CEO Matthew Spivey and Salnonen earlier this year noted 'Esa-Pekka's return to conduct the Orchestra in future seasons,' the Symphony's 2025-26 schedule notably does not have the conductor on the calendar. In the meantime, that means fans must travel — either overseas or as close as Southern California. Salonen is currently expected to spend much of his summer abroad, starting with five shows at Austria's Salzburg Festival — July 27, Aug. 2, 10, 15 and 18 — where he'll be performing alongside the Vienna Philharmonic. He will then perform with the Orchestre de Paris during its European Tour in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Aug. 29-30, and in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 1. Just after San Francisco Symphony's 2025-26 season is set to begin Sept. 5, Salonen will make a Sept. 7 appearance at the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm, Sweden, alongside the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra before returning to the U.S. He is scheduled to spend October on the East Coast, first with the New York Philharmonic in New York City Oct. 3-5, and 9-11, and then with the Philadelphia Orchestra in its hometown on Oct. 16-18. After closing out the year with engagements in Paris and Stockholm, Salonen will head back to California in 2026 for performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Jan. 9-11 and Jan. 17-18. He'll then join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Illinois on Jan. 29-Feb. 1 and Feb. 5-7 before retreating to Europe once again. Appearances with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre de Paris occupy most of spring 2026, before his last scheduled shows on his website show him appearing with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Copenhagen on May 14-15. Salonen's website will be updated with additional dates as more productions are announced.
Korea Herald
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Seoul Arts Center premieres new opera 'The Rising World,' blending myth, invention and global vision
In its first venture into producing an original opera, the Seoul Arts Center has partnered with an international creative team — and chosen English as the language of performance. 'The Rising World: The Spirit of Water,' set to premiere in May, draws inspiration from Korea's historical water clock and the country's rich folklore surrounding water spirits. According to the creative team, the opera is not an adaptation of an existing tale, but a newly imagined story that weaves Korean cultural motifs into a universal dramatic framework. Composer Mary Finsterer, known for her work across opera, film and orchestral music, described the piece as one of her most personal works to date. 'The story isn't rooted in a specific culture,' she explained. 'But Korean elements like the water clock and water spirit helped shape a world that speaks to all audiences.' Finsterer also incorporated Korean traditional instruments and sound textures into the score, including a geomungo cadenza performed live on stage. The geomungo is a traditional Korean plucked zither known for its deep, resonant timbre. Musically, 'The Rising World' emphasizes fluidity, echoing the motif of water throughout its orchestration, the composer explained. Finsterer said it blends conventional and electroacoustic elements, including the rare waterphone instrument, to evoke the elemental force of water. 'Every single note she writes — whether it's note length, rhythm, pitch, or phrasing — tells something very specific about what a character is feeling,' said conductor Steven Osgood, a veteran of more than thirty opera world premieres. Osgood is set to lead the Korean National Symphony Orchestra at the premiere. The opera centers on two female protagonists — a princess and an inventor — who drive the narrative as they confront environmental catastrophe and the corrupting force of power. Soprano Hwang Su-mi and mezzo-soprano Kim Jung-mi, who portray the lead roles, emphasized that while the opera highlights gender dynamics, its core message lies in the intergenerational transmission of wisdom and responsibility. 'This isn't just a story about two women,' Hwang noted. 'It's about how the younger generation rises to inherit and reshape the future.' 'There is no love story. Instead, it explores themes like the environment, power dynamics between the monarchy and the people, and offers reflections on Korea's current social context,' Hwang added. The cast also includes tenor Robin Tritschler, a seasoned performer with credits at Covent Garden's Royal Opera House and the Salzburg Festival, who plays the apprentice, and bass-baritone Ashley Riches, a globally acclaimed recitalist, in the role of the king. Countertenor Jung Min-ho, an early music specialist active in both Korea and Europe, takes on the role of the Spirit of Water, bringing an ethereal, otherworldly quality to the production. 'The Rising World' project dates back to 2022, when the Seoul Arts Center announced a renewed commitment to opera by strengthening its in-house productions. That initiative has included collaborations with the Royal Opera House on 'Norma' and 'Otello,' and now culminates in the world premiere of an entirely original work. 'We wanted to do more than just import foreign productions,' said Suh Kou-nee, general director of artistic planning and operations at SAC. 'This time, we aimed to create an opera that resonates globally while still reflecting a distinctly Korean identity.' Explaining the decision to stage the opera in English, Suh emphasized that it was not about prioritizing international markets, but rather about adopting a language that could reach the widest possible audience while still honoring Korean themes. 'After Korean, the most familiar language here is English,' she said. 'This is a Korean production told in a global voice.' With international staging in mind, SAC has begun negotiations with opera houses in Asia and Europe for performances in the 2027-28 seasons and established a partnership with Schott Music, the prestigious German publisher known for releasing first editions of 'Don Giovanni,' 'The Ring Cycle' and more recently, works by Stravinsky. 'The Rising World: The Spirit of Water' will have its world premiere at the Seoul Arts Center's Opera House on May 25, with additional performances scheduled for May 29 and 30.
