Salzburg Festival: history and repertoire, 1922-26 lists all opera productions of the Salzburg Festival in its founding years.
Salzburg Festival: history and repertoire, 1922-26 lists all opera productions of the Salzburg Festival in its founding years.
The first Salzburg Festival took place in 1920 — without operas although all concepts for the festival included operas as a main part of the endeavor. The first festival consisted of open air performances of the drama Jedermann [Everyman] by Austrian poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal who wrote several librettos for operas by Richard Strauss. The play was performed at the grand square in front of the Salzburg Cathedral. The play describes the life and death of a rich man and is based on several medieval mystery plays. Jedermann was directed by world-famous Max Reinhardt and was a stunning success. The play is still today performed every year at the same place. [1] [2]
In 1921, concerts were added to the festival program. Concerts of the world's best orchestras, singers and soloists still today represent an important pillar of Salzburg Festival. In 1922, Richard Strauss and Franz Schalk brought opera to the festival. Both were famous conductors and since 1919 functioned also as general managers of Vienna State Opera. They chose four works of Salzburg born genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for the first season — the three Da Ponte operas and Die Entführung aus dem Serail [The Abduction from the Seraglio]. In the founding years the festival did not have the means to produce entire opera productions. So Strauss and Schalk brought the settings, the singers, the orchestra and the chorus from Vienna State Opera to Salzburg. The press critically noted that the opera program of the festival constituted ″the summer residence of Vienna State Opera″. [3] Nevertheless, the performances were superb due to the orchestra, the chorus and the great singers. They came from all over Europa and created excellent ensembles for the Mozart operas, later on also for works by Donizetti, Johann Strauß and Richard Strauss. An important role was also given to set designer Alfred Roller who dominated the visual aspect of the first Salzburg Festival opera performances. [4]
All performances listed took place at the Salzburger Stadttheater.
Cast changes in repeat performances:
In 1923 there were no operatic performances at the Salzburg Festival. In 1924, the Festival had to be suspended due to an economic crisis in Austria.
| Orchestra, Choir, Conductor | Director, Set Designer | Female singers | Male singers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Giovanni by Lorenzo Da Ponte and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, August 24 and 28, 1925 (two performances) | ||||||||
| Wiener Philharmoniker Wiener Staatsopernchor Karl Muck | Hans Breuer Alfred Roller settings | Helene Wildbrunn Donna Anna Claire Born Donna Elvira Lotte Schöne Zerlina | Alfred Jerger Don Giovanni Richard Mayr Leporello Franz Markhoff Der Komtur Hermann Gallos Don Ottavio Viktor Madin Masetto | |||||
| Le nozze di Figaro by Lorenzo Da Ponte and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, August 25 to 30, 1925 (three performances) | ||||||||
| Wiener Philharmoniker Wiener Staatsopernchor Franz Schalk | Hans Breuer Alfred Roller settings | Claire Born Gräfin Almaviva Lotte Schöne Susanne Hermine Kittel Marcellina Rosette Anday Cherubino Paula von Hentke Barbarina | Karl Renner Graf Almaviva Alfred Jerger Figaro Hans Breuer Basilio Franz Markhoff Bartolo Viktor Madin Antonio Hermann Gallos Don Curzio | |||||
| Don Pasquale by Giovanni Ruffini and Gaetano Donizetti, August 26 and 29, 1925 (two performances) | ||||||||
| Wiener Philharmoniker Wiener Staatsopernchor Bruno Walter | Hans Breuer | Maria Ivogün Norina | Richard Mayr Don Pasquale Hermann Wiedemann Malatesta Karl Erb Ernesto Viktor Madin Notar | |||||
Cast change in repeat performances:
Cast changes in repeat performances:
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. One highlight is the annual performance of the play Jedermann (Everyman) by Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
Ariadne auf Naxos, Op. 60, is an opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's principal themes: the competition between high and low art for the public's attention.
Reri Grist is an American coloratura soprano, one of the pioneer African-American singers to enjoy a major international career in opera.
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Hermann Gallos was an Austrian operatic tenor and academic teacher. He was a long-standing ensemble member of the Vienna State Opera and performed regularly at the Salzburg Festival from 1922 to 1950, in roles such as Pedrillo in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Valzacchi in Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss.
Adele Kern real name Adele Kern-Klein was a German operatic and operetta coloratura soprano. She was known for her technical perfection and joy of playing. From 1927 to 1935, she sang at the Salzburg Festival as well as at the state operas of Vienna, Berlin and Munich.
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Hermann Wiedemann was a German operatic baritone and academic teacher. He was a long-term member of the Imperial Court Opera in Vienna from 1916, where he appeared as Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss 196 times, and as Beckmesser in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg 155 times. He was Beckmesser also in a recording from the Salzburg Festival 1937, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. He performed internationally at leading opera houses and festivals, such as the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires and the Zoppoter Festspiele. He appeared in the world premieres of Wolf-Ferrari's I gioielli della Madonna in Berlin, Busoni's Die Brautwahl in Hamburg, and Lehár's Giuditta in Vienna.
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