The 2023 Salzburg Easter Festival will start on Saturday afternoon with Richard Wagner’s “Tannhäuser”. Jonas Kaufmann will make his debut in the title role, while the British actress Emma Bell will be seen as Venus, standing in at short notice for Elīna Garanča, who was ill. The production by Romeo Castellucci, brought by the artistic director Nikolaus Bachler from the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, has been revised for Salzburg.
The guest orchestra this year is the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons. The program of the festival, which lasts until April 10, also includes Johannes Brahms’ “German Requiem”, two orchestral and two chamber concerts.
For the first time this year, the dance section is also coming to the Easter Festival. Choreographer Emanuel Gat was inspired by Richard Wagner’s “Wesendonck-Lieder” for the piece “Träume”. Another novelty is the cooperation with the well-known DJ Westbam.
He will perform his own Wagner set with conductor Oscar Jockel and members of the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s Mendelssohn Orchestra Academy.
