100 Years of Salzburg Festival

Salzburg and the Vienna Philharmonic: a union lasting more than a century The Salzburg Festival celebrates its first 100 years by honoring the love story between the city and the Vienna Philharmonic. A story that began well before the creation of the festival: the orchestra first set foot in the city of Mozart in 1877. When the festival was created, on 22 August 1920, Salzburg became the summer home of the Philharmonic. The Firebird, from the Russian fairy tale taken by Stravinsky to Dudamel's wand For the occasion, Stravinsky's Firebird takes flight from the Viennese orchestra led by Gustavo Dudamel, who comments: “I think it is a very important piece of my musical soul. From the beginning there are these syncopes, as if looking for something. Then there are the soft and sweet parts. So you have to balance these two elements with the rhythm, with the tempos and also with the melodic lines ”. Composed for the 1910 Russian Ballet season, it was the work that represented the turning point for Stravinsky. The story is based on a Russian fairy tale in which a prince receives a magical pen from the mythical Firebird that will help him destroy an evil wizard. “I think this is Stravinsky's genius - comments Dudamel -: even without having a choreography, only with music, we can create our world, our firebird…”. And if the concerts and performances are over, it is still possible to celebrate the centenary by visiting the exhibition open to the public until October 2021.