For the Salzburg Festival Pentecost, Cecilia Bartoli places travel at the heart of the program. Inspired by Rossini’s “Il viaggio a Reims”, in which a traveling party amusingly misses its destination, the festival explores sea voyages, journeys of discovery, life paths – and Bartoli’s own artistic journey. The artistic director combines musical rediscoveries with fresh perspectives: “Travel is everyday life for artists, but experiencing it slowly is a luxury. For me, every artistic career is an adventure full of surprises,” says Bartoli.
In 2026, she will perform for the first time the role of the poet Corinna in Rossini’s opera, in a lively production by Barrie Kosky and Gianluca Capuano, accompanied by Les Musiciens du Prince on period instruments.
All information about the program and tickets for the Salzburg Festival Pentecost can be found here.
SALZBURG FESTIVAL PROGRAM
GIOACCHINO ROSSINI – IL VIAGGIO A REIMS
Gianluca Capuano · Barrie Kosky · Cecilia Bartoli et al.
Choeur de l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo · Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco
For the coronation of Charles X in Reims, a colorful traveling party finds itself stranded in a provincial hotel – bad luck for them, good luck for us. Rossini’s “Il viaggio a Reims” presents an entertaining parade of love affairs, jealousy, vanity, and eccentric characters. Composed in 1825 as Rossini’s first opera for Paris and his last in Italian, it humorously plays with national stereotypes and parodies operatic conventions.Director Barrie Kosky describes his new production as a “musical whirlwind,” inspired by the farces of Feydeau: comedy, rapid entrances and exits, romantic entanglements, and slapstick meet Rossini’s virtuosic music. The opera combines witty chaos with lyrical passages, immersing the audience in a world that spirals delightfully out of control – exuberant, seductive, and utterly entertaining.
THE LITTLE MERMAID
Ballet by John Neumeier · Music: Lera Auerbach · Hamburg Ballet Guest Performance · Vienna Symphony Orchestra
John Neumeier’s ballet blends Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale with biographical elements of the author. During a sea voyage, Andersen recalls the wedding of his childhood friend, and his tears flow into a sea of memories and imagination. The Little Mermaid experiences both the austere underwater world and the opulent life on land, enduring unrequited love for the prince, and ultimately finds redemption through her own strength. Andersen’s love gives her a soul – and grants immortality to both character and creator.
OPERA & PUPPET THEATER – CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI: IL RITORNO D’ULISSE IN PATRIA
New Production · Gianluca Capuano · Vito Priante et al. · Compagnia Marionettistica Carlo Colla & Figli · Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco
Monteverdi’s opera depicts the final stage of Odysseus’ journey home from Troy: with Minerva’s help, he reunites with his son Telemachus and returns, disguised as an old beggar, to the palace to confront Penelope’s suitors. Monteverdi’s rich musical language creates a colorful universe, brought vividly to life on stage by the Milanese Marionette Company Colla.
CIAO, BELLA CIAO – OPERA GALA & MATINEE: VOYAGE DE MA VIE / OVER THE SEA
Cecilia Bartoli & Friends · Davide Livermore · Yvan Cassar · L’Arpeggiata · Christina Pluhar et al.
Cecilia Bartoli invites the audience on a musical journey “over the sea,” inspired by adventures and fateful voyages of past eras. Works by Monteverdi, Cavalli, Schürmann, Ghizzolo, Pisador, and traditional Mexican music create a diverse musical universe, exploring the allure of the Mediterranean and the storytelling power of its legends.
The Whitsun Festival and its changing artistic direction
The Festival has been shaped by great personalities ever since it was founded. It was clear from the onset that it should be an independent institution with a programme very different to the festivals in Summer and at Easter:
- Karajan’s era: At first, the Festival was intended to be an extension of the Easter Festival. Founded six years previously, it drew large crowds and Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra created a first-class programme.
- From 1982: Subsequently, more and more orchestras and conductors from around the world were invited. The focus had been on works by Anton Bruckner until Karajan died in 1989. After this devastating experience, the Salzburg Whitsun Festival started to lack direction.
- New start in 1997: After Baden-Baden played host to the Whitsun concerts in 1997, it prompted a new start in Salzburg in the following year. Completely different to the other two, it was now dedicated to the Baroque composers.
- Riccardo Muti: The Festival reinvented itself in 2007. Muti, from Naples, wanted to put the spotlight on the composers of his home country. So, until 2011 the programme included Italian composers of the 18th
