“In a joint effort, we have managed to create something in this special Festival year which no one could have expected a few weeks ago: that a highly thought-out security concept, which was circumspect yet did not demand too much of anyone, would enable music, theatre, concerts, opera – all those wonderful things – to take place again. The tension preceding 1 August was enormous, and the six rehearsal weeks before that were quite a challenge. Who could have imagined that in times of corona, something like Elektra or Così would be possible again? Who could have imagined that this meeting of people and minds would be possible again? We told all our artists over and over: if we manage to present this Summer Festival as we would like to, we can only manage that together. The behaviour of our audiences, who were also very disciplined and consciously internalized our security measures, contributed to this as well, with higher compliance the longer the Festival went on. Thus, the message sent from Salzburg will be the strongest, most vital and essential one can broadcast to the world,” says Artistic Director Markus Hinterhäuser.

“To us, the fact that the 2020 Salzburg Festival could take place at all was the greatest centenary gift of all. We were fortunate to make a statement for the power of the arts in powerless times, and to revive the founding idea in a truly meaningful manner. The Salzburg Festival was founded in 1920, in times of dire need, as a courageous project against the crisis. Max Reinhardt was convinced that only the arts could reconcile the people, even peoples, which war had set so viciously against each other. – Art not as decoration, but as the food of life. We are overjoyed that the Festival has proven its worth as a provider of meaning and as an employer – also and especially in a world that is deeply uncertain due to the coronavirus pandemic,” says Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler.

“This year, it was clear from the beginning that our success would be measured especially against the efficacy of our safety plan – in keeping with the maxim that guided us in all our decisions: ‘A Festival which is meaningful in content and economically responsible, but with the health of all involved taking precedence.’ We are very relieved and grateful that our expectations were not only met, but far exceeded. So far, among 1,400 persons involved over the course of two months of preparation, rehearsals and performances, only one single employee tested positive for coronavirus in early July, and not a single case was reported among 76,000 visitors – that is sensational. It speaks for the extraordinary discipline and the great sense of responsibility among the artists, employees and, of course, our wonderful audience. This is a success we all share! By taking our specific measures, we were able to prove that cultural events can take place in such a manner that they do not pose an elevated risk. We thank the government for its prudent ‘Austrian way’ of loosening the restrictions for the cultural sector,” says Executive Director Lukas Crepaz.

“Under totally altered external conditions, the artists present in Salzburg used their unique gifts to create unforgettable and unusually touching experiences for our audiences, who reacted in great numbers and emphatically, a fact we observed with great joy. It was not just a sense of retrospective and of realizing cultural history in this very place which were pillars of this unforgettable 100-year anniversary of the Salzburg Festival, but also the solidarity and shared resolve to give art and culture the place Max Reinhardt, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, and Richard Strauss accorded it a century ago, even in this particular situation,” says Bettina Hering, Director of Drama.

“What seemed almost impossible four months ago now became reality after all: a total of 53, in other words, many of the concerts originally planned for the centenary Festival in 2020, could take place! Being responsible for the Salzburg Festival’s media, I am particularly happy that we managed to implement the most successful audio-visual recording project in the Festival’s history, in addition to our concerts. 31 of this year’s centenary Festival productions were recorded audio-visually. Counting the television broadcasts, the streams on ARTE Concert, worldwide radio broadcasts and screenings in cinemas in Germany, Austria, Russia and South Korea, the Salzburg Festival enabled more than 5 million viewers to experience the Festival’s productions. These outstanding figures and ratings show how many people were longing for a return of culture after the break forced by the coronavirus crisis,” says Florian Wiegand, Director of Concerts and Media.

Memorandum: The Salzburg Festival in the 21st Century

In a memorandum, the Directorate and Landeshauptmann Wilfried Haslauer as the permanent representative of the Festival Fund summarized ten principles meant to determine the artistic, economic and social future strategy of the Salzburg Festival.

Anniversary Poster Series of the Salzburg Festival

A poster series celebrating the centenary of the Salzburg Festival was exhibited from early July to the end of August on the Makartsteg bridge. Five international artists with close connections with the Salzburg Festival designed one poster each, inspired by the founding ideas of the Festival. “To awaken the ear, the eyes, human thought and intelligence,” this quote by composer Luigi Nono might be called the imaginary inscription on the five posters. The Spanish sculptor and artist Jaume Plensa, the German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer, the American stage director, playwright, painter, lighting designer, stage designer, video artist and architect Robert Wilson, the South African artist William Kentridge and the Austrian artist Eva Schlegel each designed one poster.

100 Years of Jedermann

100 years after the first performance of Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s Jedermann directed by Max Reinhardt on 22 August 1920 on Salzburg’s Cathedral Square, the Salzburg Festival celebrated its anniversary. The centrepiece was the gala performance of Jedermann on Cathedral Square, flanked by readings by the Jedermann actors Klaus Maria Brandauer, Peter Simonischek, Tobias Moretti and Cornelius Obonya as well as Philipp Hochmair, who stepped in to play the role at short notice, by a literary speech by Elisabeth Orth, who took the audience on a journey into the time of the Festival’s founding, with a screening of Max Reinhardt’s famous Midsummer Night’s Dream film at the Felsenreitschule. In addition, Milo Rau’s and Ursina Lardi’s Everywoman had its world premiere at the Szene Salzburg. A special edition of Jedermann with a print run of 10,000 copies was distributed throughout the day to the citizens of Salzburg and the city’s guests. As a premiere on this 100th birthday, the entire day was recorded by the Festival’s own video team and streamed live on Facebook. Thus, more than 370,000 viewers from 65 countries (from Algeria to Venezuela) were able to participate in this anniversary day.

Dorothée Volpini, an SFS Board Member was in Salzburg for the entire Festival, since she lives in Salzburg. She wanted to share some of her special moments with you.