tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post2442272143921893960..comments2024-03-26T15:57:13.443+00:00Comments on On An Overgrown Path: Salzburg Festival - no point in looking backUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-90542771401253878012010-03-30T17:13:31.271+01:002010-03-30T17:13:31.271+01:00Email received:
The film director Billy Wilder on...<i>Email received:</i><br /><br />The film director Billy Wilder once quipped, “Only in Austria is Hitler a German and Beethoven an Austrian”.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />David CavlovicPliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-51626201976082589282010-03-29T16:04:55.178+01:002010-03-29T16:04:55.178+01:00Austria - I know it is somewhat off message but I ...Austria - I know it is somewhat off message but I cannot resist adding a quote from a truly excellent book that I read when in Morocco recently. Dutch journalist Geert Mak's 878 page <i>'In Europe'</i> is a veritable journalistic <i>tour de force</i>. I strongly recommend it all readers.<br /><br /><b>A number of highly successful public relations campaigns were carried out after the Second World War. The Austrians succeeded in transforming themselves from enthusiastic co-culprits into fellow victims. The cautious Dutch suddenly became robust heroes of the rsistance, every one of whom had hidden Anne Frank in their attic. But what the French got away with borders on the unbelievable. Whenever the war was discussed in France, it was always in terms of glory and triumph, as though there had been no defeat, chaos, starvation, despondency or collabaration.</b><br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Europe-Travels-Through-Twentieth-Century/dp/0375424954Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-4904515757240582002010-03-29T15:51:38.573+01:002010-03-29T15:51:38.573+01:00The following email has been received from Bernard...<i>The following email has been received from Bernard Tuyttens in Brussels. Bernard's thoughtful points apply more to the Salzburg Summer Festival than its Easter counterpart, the two Festivals come under different organisations. His email provides a nice link to my recent post about the Salzburg Summer Festival recording of Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise</i> -http://www.overgrownpath.com/2010/02/on-road-with-olivier-messiaen.html <br /><br />Salzburg seems to be still very conservative. According to their former intendant Festspiele G. Mortier it is a kind of Dineyland, where no experiment is allowed ( L’ express interview). Salzburg was happy when Mortier finished his mandate. Quote from De Volkskrant : Formeel heeft Mortier ('ik ben en blijf jurist') dan ook nog geen ontslag genomen. Hij schrijft dat hij slechts aanblijft als aan twee 'voorwaarden' wordt voldaan: geen veranderingen in het programmabeleid, en geen FP & Ouml;-lid in het bestuur. Thus : he would have been ready to stay on 2 conditions: no programme chenges and no FP & Ouml member in the Board. One reason was that the FP & Ouml Board member imposed a Jugendverbot for a production : youngsrters minus 16 were not allowed. Etc, etc.. Conflicts between Mortier and , let’s say basic Salzburgian attitudes were plentiful. Mortier & Salzburg : it all stopped in 2001. <br /><br />Just one quote from the NY Times: “He alienated numerous former allies, but he also made the Salzburg Festival a hotbed of innovation and daring. In his first full season, the summer of 1992, he presented the mystical and visionary five-hour opera "St. Francois d'Assise" by Olivier Messiaen, then a living French modernist master, directed by Peter Sellars and with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Mortier presented important productions of works by Monteverdi, Gluck and Rameau. But pride of place went to 20th-century works by Stravinsky, Janacek, Berg, Shostakovich and Ligeti. Mr. Mortier's presentations of Mozart operas, however, were denounced in the composer's home town as outlandish "Eurotrash" stagings. Leaders from Austria's right-wing Freedom Party said that the Salzburg Festival no longer represented their homeland. Mr. Mortier eventually quit in protest. “<br /><br />Quite different nowadays: Vienna. The celebration for the 85th birthday of Boulez , last week , took place in Vienna. With succes. And Boulez addressed the audience in german. <br /><br />And , just as an anecdote. Linz happens to be very different as well. When the city was cultural capital of Europe last year, they organised a festival for toy piano, a lovely instrument, from Mozart to Cage.Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-16790021731735059242010-03-29T15:37:07.873+01:002010-03-29T15:37:07.873+01:00Email received:
The real problem with the Salzbur...<i>Email received:</i><br /><br />The real problem with the Salzburg Festival is that it is not for “plebs” like ourselves.<br /><br />If classical music insists on allowing festivals like Salzburg represent it’s interests, then classical music shall indeed become totally irrelevant.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />David CavlovicPliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-45917919407441638042010-03-28T19:09:42.927+01:002010-03-28T19:09:42.927+01:00The Nippon Music Foundation owns some very impress...The Nippon Music Foundation owns some very impressive string instruments - http://www.nmf.or.jp/english/instrument/instruments.html<br /><br />Many of these are on loan to leading musicians - http://www.nmf.or.jp/english/instrument/recipients.html<br /><br />The Nippon Music Foundation website says - <i>'All NMF activities are made possible by the full support from The Nippon Foundation'</i> - http://www.nmf.or.jp/english/profile/index.htmlPliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.com