Birthplace of Mozart celebrates opera’s most controversial
AUSTRIA’S Salzburg Festival opened last Saturday, the start of more than a month of classical and dramatic performances featuring some of opera’s brightest and most controversial stars.
A highlight of the 40-day festival will come on August 6 with a production of Verdi’s masterpiece “Aida”, directed by Iranian artist Shirin Neshat.
Organizers expect around a quarter of a million visitors to flock to the city of Mozart’s birth to take in performances from classical music luminaries such as: Simon Rattle, John Eliot Gardiner and Mariss Jansons.
High points will include a modern retelling of Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito”, conducted by classical music’s enfant terrible Teodor Currentzis and directed by Peter Sellars.
One of the events more surreal moments will come when Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartolia dons a false beard to play the title character in Handel’s “Ariodante” — a part originally performed by male castrati.
The festival’s musical events get underway last Saturday evening with American conductor Kent Nagano leading the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra through Olivier Messiaen’s “The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The 1960s showpiece is rarely performed live as it requires around 200 performers.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
- RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证:沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证:31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证:0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证:沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证:沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.