Tourismus Salzburg GmbH - Press Releases

Salzburg - a symbiosis of traditional and modern

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Listed as a World Heritage Site precisely ten years ago, Salzburg's Old City has more to offer than just the relics of a moving past. Modern design and extraordinary architecture peek between the city's baroque façades. Trend-setting symbols of an active city.

History and modernity on the Mönchsberg

Hohensalzburg Fortress reigns majestically on the Mönchsberg. The walls of Central Europe's biggest preserved fortification, never conquered, have a centuries old history. Further northwest, a light, rectangular building offers a fascinating pendant to the medieval fortress: the new Museum of Modern Art, quickly having established itself as another of the city's landmarks. Its three floors with roughly 2,300 m2 of exhibition space for contemporary art offer plenty of room for Austrian art from the 20th century, the present, and extensive changing exhibitions presenting the work of international contemporaries. The Munich based team of architects, Friedrich, Hoff & Zwink, designed the building decidedly stark with a light, smooth façade made of Untersberg marble. Visitors stroll through spacious exhibition rooms and wide staircases, flooded with daylight through the overhead skylights. Big panorama windows afford an unobstructed view of the interesting sculpture terrace, and the terrace offers a stunning panoramic view of the Old City.

The city as a sculpture park

In addition to the traditional, world-famous attractions such as Mozart's Birthplace, the Mozart Residence, the Salzburg Museum (at the New Residenz starting this summer), the Museum of Natural History or specialties such as the Toy Museum, Mozart's city has an active culture scene with innovative projects. Leaving the Museum of Modern Art on the Mönchsberg, a special installation beckons, built in a depression right next to the building: a cylindrical structure, over eight meters high. Covered on the outside with Golling conglomerate rock, the inside offers changing perceptions and impressions of the fascinating interaction between nature, architecture and technology. "Skyspace“ is the name of the recently completed project by the American artist, James Turrell. Natural light reflections, sunlight and various cloud formations can be seen through the opening in the roof – the artist uses light as a material just as we deal with material objects.

"Skyspace“ is the latest of a series of projects created by the Salzburg Foundation, e.g. Mario Merz’ "Numbers in the Forest “, Marina Abramovic's "Spirit of Mozart“, Markus Lüpertz’ modern Mozart statue and Anselm Kiefer's "A.E.I.O.U.“. The latter is
located in the Furtwängler Park and consists of a walk-in room with a large-format

picture, a shelf with leaden books and writing on the wall. The sculpture "Mozart – a Homage" is in a more tranquil setting across from the Ursulines Church, a modern Mozart sculpture by Markus Lüpertz, once sparking off a heated debate about art in public areas.

A work by the performance and video artist, Marina Abramovic, is set up on the other side of the Salzach at the end of the State Bridge. "Spirit of Mozart“ is an interactive, stainless steel sculpture depicting eight chairs that the observer can use to sit down, ponder and reflect. Attention is focused on the center chair, towering 15 meters high without a seat, allowing an unhindered view of the sky. The artist invites visitors to meditate at a place of constant movement, where Schwarzstrasse, Giselakai, Linzer Gasse and the State Bridge converge.

An interesting blend of the past and future

Upon leaving Anselm Kiefer's walk-in "A.E.I.O.U.“ exhibit across from the Festival Halls, the University auditorium, designed by the architect Franz Fonatsch comes into view, combining the future with the past. Visitors pass through the modern entrance with its prominent glass façade and the spacious foyer to the renovated auditorium, equipped with state-of-the-art technology. This is where Mozart's opera Apollo and Hyacinth was first performed in 1767. Today the auditorium is used for university functions, congresses, concerts, plays and Salzburg Festival performances. The architects, Wilhelm Holzbauer and Francy Valentiny, built the "House for Mozart" diagonally across from the University Auditorium, completed in 2006, and placed a Mozart bust made of Swarovski crystal in the 17-meter foyer behind a gold lamellar wall.

The baroque heart of the Cultural Heritage Site continues to beat just a few steps away from these innovative accents in the Festival District: Mozart's Birthplace, the Getreidegasse and the romantic courtyards with their so-called "passages“ accommodating cafés and historic shops. Futuristic architecture continues on the other side of the Salzach.

The fastest way to the other side leads over the Makartsteg – a bold, curved bridge. Past the traditional Hotel Sacher, one reaches the baroque park surrounding Mirabell Palace with its colorful flowerbeds and the perfectly manicured lawn. The newly built Mozarteum with its imposing glass entrance stands in sharp contrast to the palace's elegant, gray stone façade. After its reconstruction, the internationally renowned university, having taught music to the national and international elite for generations, presents itself in a modern dress with an abundance of light and air. Music instruction, science and events have been united in the same building.

The Department of Natural Science in Freisaal is another architecturally interesting part of the university campus worth visiting. The building, designed by Wilhelm Holzbauer, has an impressive, monumental, cylindrical entrance into a glass hall. Freisaal Castle, an enchanting moated castle lying in close proximity, is another link to the dynamic history of Salzburg and its archbishops.

Cultivated living with personal esprit

In addition to elegant, traditional hotels, individualists will also find trendy accommodations with stylish zeitgeist and a private charm in Salzburg. The "Auersperg“ for example, popular lodgings for actors and culture journalists during the Festival season, offers a very special ambiance in addition to contemporary 4-star comfort. The amenities include an attractive garden with a water lily pond and breakfast terrace as well as spa facilities with a rooftop sauna, steam room and tanning studio.

Those who prefer to enjoy the spectacular view of the Old City and Hohensalzburg Fortress directly from their hotel room, can reside at the Hotel "Stein“ on the Salzach. A fascinating, extraordinary 4-star hotel with designer rooms and suites, plus rare, originally-preserved furniture and appointments from the 1950s. The absolute highlight is the penthouse café, where even the restrooms have an elegant design, leather couch and TV set.

The "arthotel Blaue Gans" in Getreidegasse is an inhabitable work of art. Over 650 years old, the building ensemble with its courtyards and winding hallways is a continuously changing stage for contemporary art and performance: innovative designs, sculptures and large-scale paintings are characteristic for the hotel, whose rooms and suites were decorated by national and international artists. In contrast, the renovated dining room of Salzburg's oldest hotel/restaurant is a bow to tradition.

Summer in Salzburg

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Summer is the festival season in Salzburg, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to the signature classical highlights presented at the Whitsun and Summer Festival, this year will feature the staging of "The Sound of Music" at the Marionette Theater.This year when the European Football Championship kicks off, Salzburg will demonstrate that a UNESCO World Heritage Site can be both a cultural and sports venue. The Easter, Whitsun and Summer Festivals as well as Herbert von Karajan's 100th birthday promise to deliver special musical highlights.

Football fever of Festival fever? Salzburg will be equally infected by both in 2008. Brilliant star conductors such as Riccardo Muti and Sir Simon Rattle, ambitious new talents, superb compositions, football fans from across Europe and international athletes will transform Mozart's city into an international hotspot.

2008 will also be the year the music world celebrates Herbert von Karajan's 100th birthday, to be commemorated by numerous concerts, exhibitions and special editions. Sir Simon Rattle will conduct Richard Wagner's opera The Valkyrie during the Easter Festival (March 15 – 24, 2008). In a co-production with the Festival d’Art lyrique d’Aix en Provence, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the opera at the Large Festival Hall on March 15 and 24, 2008.

The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's extensive concert program will also feature works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Dimitri Shostakovich, Joseph Haydn, Ferruccio Busoni, Antonín Dvorák and Johannes Brahms (Large Festival Hall). Soloists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Michael Schade (tenor) or Genia Kühmeier (soprano) are a guarantee for an unforgettable concert experience.

Herbert von Karajan established the Easter Festival in 1967 and raised it to an exclusive, high-caliber festival of international renown. The Festival always focused on elaborate new opera productions and a large orchestral repertoire. Star conductors and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra are permanent features of the Festival. http://www.osterfestspiele-salzburg.at/
The magnificent state rooms of the Residence will serve as the elegant venue for the exclusive Art and Antiques Fair to be held at the same time as the Easter Festival (March 15 – 24, 2008). http://www.mac-hoffmann.com/

Herbert von Karajan's 100th birthday will be celebrated on April 5, 2008 during a ceremonial act at the House for Mozart. A concert under the baton of star-conductor Riccardo Muti will pay tribute to the maestro during the Summer Festival (July 26 - August 31, 2008). The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, joined by the Vienna State Opera Choir's Concert Society will perform the German Requiem, Op. 45 by Johannes Brahms. Herbert von Karajan once worked with the Vienna State Opera Choir's Concert Society, founded in 1927. The concert will be held at the Large Festival Hall at 11:00 a.m. on August 15, 16 and 18, 2008.

Herbert von Karajan, born August 15, 1908 in the present-day Raiffeisen building in Schwarzstrasse, left his imprint on Salzburg's cultural life for many decades. His name is inseparably liked to the Salzburg Festival. He died on July 16, 1989 Anif near Salzburg, where he had been living for many years. The world was shocked to learn of his death just a few days before the Festival premiere of Verdi's opera Un ballo in maschera, which he had been working on together with the director, John Huston. (http://www.karajan.org/)

Salzburg's Whitsun Festival (May 9 – 12, 2008) has been conducted by Italy's star conductor Riccardo Muti and his Orchestra Giovanile "L. Cherubini" since 2007. The festival focuses on music from the 18th century Neapolitan School. This year's highlight will be the opera Il matrimonio inaspettato by Giovanni Paisiello, who was born in 1740 in Taranto and studied at the Conservatorio S. Onofrio in Naples, where he later became the court conductor and composer. Napoleon personally ordered Paisiello to come to Paris in 1801. Under Riccardo Muti's baton, the Orchestra Giovanile "L. Cherubini" will perform the opera together with Salzburg's Bach Choir at the House for Mozart on May 9 and 11, 2008.

The young orchestra will also perform a church concert I Pellegrini al sepolcro di Nostro Signore on May 12 at the Collegiate Church. The program also includes a chamber music concert at the Mozarteum, a choral and orchestral concert featuring Neapolitan sacred music from the settecento and the matinee Arie per Senesino at the House for Mozart. http://www.salzburgfestival.at/

Historic Marionette Theater to stage The Sound of Music

In addition to opera performances such as Mozart's Magic Flute“, Don Giovanni or The Nutcracker Suite the historic Marionette Theater has a special treat in store this year: an enchanting production of the legendary Hollywood film The Sound of Music. The story of the singing Trapp Family will be staged with marionettes. Director Richard Hamburger shortened the 3-hour original to 90 minutes and recorded the music with the Istropolis Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by David Rosenmeyer in Bratislava. The premiere will be on May 9, 2008. http://www.marionetten.at/

The concert program will be rounded off by Palace Concerts in the Marble Hall at Mirabell Palace, Fortress Concerts in the historic ambiance of the state room at Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mozart Dinner Concerts at St. Peter's Monastery Cellar (Salzburg's oldest restaurant), the Mozart Lunch Concert (starting in April) and Mozart Piano Sonatas.

Salzburg as a sports venue

Salzburg will present itself as a sports venue this May and June. The AMREF Marathon, Austria's biggest charity running event sponsored by AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation inc. Flying Doctors Service) will be held at 9:00 a.m. on May 4, 2008 for the fifth time in Mozart's city, giving participants a chance to run for a good cause. Participants must overcome the standard distance of just over 42 kilometers in two laps. http://www.salzburg-marathon.at/

UEFA EURO 2008
The city will be dominated by international football stars and guests from across Europe in June: The European Football Championship (UEFA Euro 2008™) will be held from June 7 – 29, 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Locals and guests are looking forward to three exciting group matches, to be played at the Football Stadium in Wals-Siezenheim: Greece vs. Sweden on June 10, Greece vs. Russia on June 14 and Greece vs. Spain on June 18. The stadium was enlarged from a capacity of 18,500 to 30,000 to meet the European Football Championship's requirements. A special shuttle service will carry football fans from the city center directly to the stadium. A fan zone will be set up in the heart of UNESCO's World Heritage Site (official opening June 7, 2:00 p.m.): two big video walls including a stage, food court, pagodas for sponsors and a VIP area will be set up on Residence Square and Mozart Square. The three pre-qualification games will also be broadcast live from the football stadium to a screen on Chapter Square, which will be designed as a "Family Park.“ The entire fan zone will accommodate up to 25,000 visitors. Free admission. http://www.salzburg.info/

Modern art meets the Summer Festival

The Salzburg Foundation will hand over the seventh work of art at the Salzburg Festival opening: the British artist, Tony Cragg, created a sculpture entitled "Cauldron“ for Makart Square. Approximately five meters high and four meters wide, the bronze sculpture with its stainless steel base will be mounted on a concrete foundation. Visitors will even be able to walk into the "Cauldron". Born in Liverpool in 1949, Tony Cragg has won art prizes such as the Turner Prize (1988) and the "Premium Imperiale 2007“. The "Cauldron“ will join other works of art by Anselm Kiefer, Mario Merz, Marina Abramovic, Markus Lüpertz, James Turrell and Stephan Balkenhol. http://www.salzburg-foundation.at/

This year's Sommerszene Festival (July 3 – 19, 2008) will focus on extraordinary dance productions ranging from modern dance to hip hop and ballet. Famous choreographers such as William Forsythe, Anne Teresa de

Keersmaeker and Meg Stuart and a number of international dance artists from Africa and Asia will demonstrate the art of movement: internal and external movement, movement in society, in everyday life or on stage, also to be the theme of a series of concerts, lectures, installations, discussions and films. http://www.sommerszene.net/

"For love is as strong as death " – The Salzburg Festival (July 26 – August 31, 2008) will use this phrase from the Song of Solomon as the theme of its 2008 performances. Bertrand de Billy will conduct Don Giovanni at the House for Mozart, Riccardo Muti will conduct Verdi's last dramatic opera Othello as well as the Magic Flute. Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón will slip into the roles of the most famous lovers in literary history in Charles Gounod's Roméo e Juliette. The program will also include Rusalka by Antonin Dvorák, Bluebeard's Castle by Béla Bartók and the debut by the Austrian brass band Mnozil Brass and Bernd Jeschek, Irmingard or the Power of Fate. The concert program will focus on the Continent and Schubert Scenes concert series as well as performances by the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, chamber music concerts, lieder evenings and soloist concerts.

Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, one of four new productions on the theater program was adapted for the stage by Dimitré Dinev for the Salzburg Festival. Friedrich Schiller's The Robbers and the German premiere of Simon Stephens’ Harper Regan are on the program at Perner Island. The performance of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Everyman on Cathedral Square is inseparably linked to the Salzburg Festival. Directed by Christian Stückl, Peter Simonischek can be seen in the role of Everyman again with Sophie von Kessel as his new paramour. (http://www.salzburgfestival.at/)

As during the past, locals and guests will be able to watch current Festival productions daily, free of charge, on a large, open-air screen set up on Chapter Square during the Siemens Festival Nights (July 26 – August 17, 2008). www.siemens.at/festspielnaechte

The archiepiscopal Residence will offer precious objects of art from August 8 – 17, 2008 at the "Salzburg World Fine Art Fair". The splendid rooms once used by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau will serve as the setting for art from all cultures to objects by modern designers. Notable gallery owners and antiques dealers will present exclusive sculptures, furniture, silver, porcelain, paintings, drawings and jewelry at the international Art and Antiques Fair. http://www.salzburg-faf.com/

From the Fall of Man to revolutionary paintings

The Museum of Modern Art on the Mönchsberg will open the third part of its exhibition series "Les Grands Spectacles" on July 19, 2008. The "Sound of Art“ will deal with the juxtaposition between music and the visual arts since the end of the 19th century. This was the time in which the transcending of genres and relations between the different arts became more intensive and more commonplace. The exhibition will be on display until October 12, 2008.
In its show entitled "Art reflected by the turn of the eras" the Rupertinum, the affiliated museum, will present paintings, graphics, sculptures and photographs dating back to 1900 from June 7 – October 26, 2008, with pictorial concepts considered new and revolutionary at the time The exhibition "Rebecca Horn. Luci mie traditrici" will be opened on June 21, 2008. It will present work by the German sculptor, action artist and filmmaker, Rebecca Horn, who will be responsible for the stage design and costumes in Salvatore Sciarrino's opera Luci mie traditrici at this year's Summer Festival. The exhibition can be seen until September 21, 2008. http://www.museumdermoderne.at/

The Fall of Man in Paradise, good and evil, vices and virtues – in its exhibition entitled "Sweet vices - venial morality in the visual arts“ (July 12 – November 2, 2008) the Residence Gallery will present paintings, graphics and sculptures from two millenniums, including works from Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque and modern times. http://www.residenzgalerie.at/

Two special exhibitions will be offered at the Cathedral Museum from May 9 to October 26, 2008: "The Rosary“ will show an extensive collection of rosaries, amulets and prayer beads, including precious objects made of amber, lapis lazuli or crystal; "The Sammer Collection“ will present baroque art from Austria and Italy, primarily oil drawings and small sculptures by Monsignore Alfred Sammer. www.kirchen.net/dommuseum