Salzburg Festival. ©Source Tourismus Salzburg
According to the website of the Austrian Ministry of Health, as of April 17, Austria has conducted 169272 tests for the new crown virus, with a cumulative total of 14,553 confirmed cases and 102 new cases in 24 hours.
On April 17, local time, the Austrian government held a press conference to announce that the ban on large-scale events was extended to August 31, and whether the Salzburg Arts Festival could be held as originally planned and whether it would be cancelled due to the new crown epidemic has become a growing concern.
Just a day before the press conference, on April 16, the Austrian newspaper Kurier published an article entitled "Salzburg Festival will certainly not open in mid-July", which attracted attention.
About this centennial ceremony
Founded in 1920, the Salzburg Festival in Austria is the highest standard and most prestigious festival in the world, with a reputation in the fields of opera, music and theatre.
Salzburg, mozart's birthplace and filming location for the film The Sound of Music, is a city with a lot of roots in music, but on the international cultural stage, Salzburg's most prominent identity is the "city of festivals".
This summer coincides with the centenary of the festival. According to the plan, from July 18 to August 30, the festival will stage 222 performances in 15 different venues for 44 consecutive days, and the entire city will be transformed into a huge art stage.
Summer has traditionally been the peak season for European arts festivals. Before Salzburg, the Edinburgh International Arts Festival in the United Kingdom, the Bayreuth Music Festival in Germany, the Tyrol Music Festival in Austria, the Avignon Theatre Festival in France, and the Provence-Aix Arts Festival in France have been cancelled one after another.
This summer, the world's most eye-catching art festivals have pressed the pause button one after another, unprecedented.
On April 6, shortly after the Austrian government announced a ban on all public events in Austria until the end of June, the Whitsun Festival in Salzburg, an extension of the Salzburg Festival, announced the cancellation of performances scheduled for May 29 to June 1 this year.
Screenshot of the Whitsunday cancellation in Salzburg
According to the previous official statement of the Salzburg Festival, whether the festival can be held as scheduled and in what form, the date of the news is determined before May 30. So far, no one has dared to directly assert whether to cancel it.
According to the Courier, the Salzburg Arts Festival is about to usher in its centennial ceremony, but the new crown epidemic and the accompanying travel restrictions have made the situation of the festival quite grim and star-studded. In Salzburg, there is a strong hope that a small festival will be held at least in August.
"The festival organizing committee follows government policy and will not insist on opening with Jedermann on July 18. But one still hopes that, at least in mid-August, in whatever form, the festival will see a glimmer of life. The Courier said.
Just last week, Lukas Crepaz, one of the festival directors in Salzburg, told austrian news agency APA that a decision on whether the festival will be held will continue until May 30.
"How well the preparations, the stage sets, costumes, technical facilities and rehearsals, etc. are to be carried out depends on the policies issued by the federal government." Kruparts said.
For Helga Rabl-Stadler, president of the Salzburg Festival, who is currently battling for the "Grand Finale", the centenary of the festival is the highlight of her career.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Austria is working closely with Germany. A few days ago, the German government announced that it would ban large gatherings until August 31, which means that concerts will be open in Germany without a date. This does not bode well for the Salzburg Festival.
Austria's Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported that the Salzburg Festival is still in careful discussion, but Chairman Stadler has also released some information that if the festival is really canceled, the organizing committee may make another choice: do a centralized planning in August and celebrate the real centennial ceremony in 2021.
Some shops in Austria have been "unblocked" since April 14, and the picture shows people walking by the reopened shops. Xinhua News Agency Photo
About epidemic prevention and control in Austria
On the morning of April 17, local time, the Klein newspaper also reported on an important cultural press conference in Austria.
At the meeting, Austrian government officials Ulrike Lunacek and Werner Kogler gave some explanations on "policies and events in the field of art and culture".
Kogler said it is now possible to try to further gradually relax and open up, and the digital curve related to the epidemic is moving in a good direction, but it still needs to be assessed every two to three weeks. Mid-May, June 1, June 30 and August 31 are important time nodes.
In mid-May, museums in Austria can be opened. In addition, from May 18, individuals can rehearse in the theater. From 1 June, if precautions are taken and the regulations are followed, small rehearsals can also be tried in theaters and concert halls.
Luna Secco said maintaining a distance of 20 square meters is a challenge, especially for smaller theaters, which may not work for the time being, pending further notice.
Kogler wants everyone to be "a little more patient": rehearsals are not possible for choirs, orchestras and even brass ensembles unless otherwise notified.
When asked about the Salzburg Festival and the Bregenz Festival, Kogler said that there are many possibilities in theory, but they have not yet been decided. But it's safe to say that even if the festival is held as scheduled, people will still have doubts about the actual operation, such as audience seats, profitability, and the entry and exit of international artists.
"The Salzburg Festival will set the end of May as the deadline for the release of the news, and if it is decided to cancel, people will celebrate the centenary in 2021." Kogler said.
When asked by reporters about more small events in the summer, Kogler replied: "I can't tell you anything definitive. "Indoors, everyone must comply with the 20 square meter distance rule, and the possibility of being outdoors is greater, but the specific rules may not be released until mid-May."
Salzburg Festival. Infographic
About the Salzburg Festival
At the end of the First World War, in order to continue the centuries-old local theatrical tradition, an idea for the establishment of the Salzburg Festival began to be conceived.
The eminent personalities of the time, especially the director Max Reinhardt, the poet Hugo von Hoffmannsta, and the composer Richard Strauss, began to actively promote the project.
On August 22, 1920, the Salzburg Festival was born and the mystery play Jedermann (Everyone) was premiered in cathedral square. Soon after, concerts and operas were added to the repertoire.
Taking the whole city as the stage has been a dream that has existed since Marx Reinhardt. Today, the dreams of several founders have long been realized.
Every summer, this small city of 150,000 people becomes the world's cultural port, attracting more than 250,000 cultural lovers every year to enjoy operas, plays and concerts.
Conductor Karajan is the most important director of the festival. From his appointment to his death in 1989, his contribution to the festival was unparalleled: from promoting the internationalization of the festival, to hosting the festival's performance hall, to founding the Easter Festival, he left his successors with a large but not easy legacy.
The Salzburg Festival has a long history, but has long been grounded in the present, respecting tradition, but constantly expanding the repertoire: the musical aspect has focused on Mozart and Strauss, adding more new works to attract a wider audience. The Salzburg Festival is becoming a cultural event for "everyone".
(Source: ©Tourismus Salzburg)