Salzburg Festival

The WFMT Radio Network is offering live performances from the Salzburg Festival. Salzburg Festival 2013 celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of both Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, as well as the centennial of the birth of Benjamin Britten.

The world's first international music festival and the most renowned, the Salzburg Festival this year continues its over 90-year history of producing and presenting great orchestras, soloists, opera, and theatre in the historic and picturesque Austrian town where Mozart was born.

This year's highlights include the Vienna Philharmonic in performances of Verdi's Requiem, conducted by Riccardo Muti, as well as in Bruckner's Symphony No. 5, with Christian Thielemann on the podium, and a substantial excerpt from Wagner's only comedy, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, conducted by Daniele Gatti. Britten's War Requiem is performed by the chorus and orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecelia, with soloists Anna Netrebko, soprano, Ian Bostridge, tenor and Thomas Hampson, baritone, led by Antonio Pappano. Of course orchestral music of Mozart will be included in two "Mozart Matinee' concerts, with the Mozarteum Orchestra led by Ingo Metzmacher as well as its principal conductor Ivor Bolton. Violinist Christian Tetzlaff joins the ORF Orchestra, with conductor Cornelius Meister, for the Austrian premiere of the Violin Concerto by British composer Harrison Birtwistle, whose music was heard in many concerts during the Festival.

Chamber music highlights include a performance by the Simon Bolivar String Quartet, who are all members of that remarkable Venezuelan orchestra which appeared at the Festival with its music director Gustavo Dudamel. Other soloists include soprano Dorothea Röschmann, violinist Frank Stadler, baritones Michael Volle and Christian Gerhaher, and many others.

Salzburg Festival 2013 will include commentary by conductors, administrators and performers at this year's Festival, as well as conversations with concert-goers and critics from around the globe. The world's stars have been drawn to Salzburg for decades, not only for the large-scale concerts in the Grosses Festspielhaus and Felsenreitschule, but for the intimacy and acoustic excellence of the historic Golden Hall of the Mozarteum and the Haus für Mozart.

Jan 26:

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat

Feb 2:

WAGNER: Die Meisternsinger von Numberg, Prelude and Act II, Scene 2
HAYDN: Symphony No. 104 in D, "London"

Feb 9:

BRITTEN: War Requiem, Op. 66

Feb 16:

HAYDN: Overture to Ilritorno di Tobia
MOZART: Symphony No. 34
SCHUMANN: Sechs Gesange, Op. 107; Dicherliebe, Op. 48

Feb 23:

SMETANA: Bartered Bride, Overture
BIRTWISTLE: Violin Concerto (Austrian premiere)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 4 in G