Theatre historian and music critic Alexey Parin provides a brief overview of the history of the Salzburg Festival. What was created more than a hundred years ago in Mozart’s hometown by director Max Reinhardt, composer Richard Strauss, poet Hugo von Hoffmannatal, artist Alfred Roller, and other pioneering figures of German art?
How did Herbert von Karajan add an exclusive lustre to the Salzburg scene, and how did Gerard Mortier turn it towards the most daring artistic experiments?
What is going at the festival today under Markus Hinterhäuser, and how have these conditions influenced the birth of unprecedented Don Giovanni by Castellucci/Currentzis?
Alexey Parin, a frequent guest and witness of Salzburg’s recent history, gives the answers in a concise commentary.