Summer Music Festival Salzburg

The highlight, as far as opera, drama and classical music are concerned the annual “Salzburger Festspiele”.

Jederman

The first festival took place on 22^nd of August 1920 with the performance of what is to this day the `center piece`: Hugo von Hoffmannsthals´s play “Jedermann” (Every man).

It´s the story of a very rich and selfish man who, during a banquet, is visited by Death who takes him away.

However, he is allowed to choose company to go with him and is subsequently abandoned by everybody, his servants, his lovers and even his money.

The play is performed on the beautiful Domplatz (Cathedral Square).

A stunning setting for the drama and you can hear a needle drop when Death shouts his `Jedermann`reverberating from the surrounding buildings and the Dom behind.

Many more plays, operas and concerts are being performed during the summer music festival Salzburg in other venues like the “Felsenreitschule” and “Grosse Schauspielhaus”.

Naturally, tickets are coveted and don´t come cheap but even if you don´t manage to get the ones you want that shouldn´t deter you from visiting Salzburg during the Festspiele.

At least you can see and hear Jedermann from afar because it´s an open air performance.

Since instigation the Festspiele have become an international event, particularly from the 60s onwards under world famous conductor Herbert von Karajan.