Ariadne auf Naxos – Christina Nilsson

Christina Nilsson brings Ariadne’s grief, solitude and longing to life with great intensity. Her encounter with Bacchus ultimately transforms her fate, turning the story of abandonment into one of renewal and transcendence.

For his Salzburg Festival debut, director Ersan Mondtag places Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s ancient myth in a futuristic world: the deserted island of Naxos becomes a barren planet, while the opera’s gods and heroes appear as figures of a distant, exclusive world.

Ariadne auf Naxos | Salzburg Festival 2026 – Aria excerpt Christina Nilsson

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Cecilia Bartoli: birthday gala performance of Rossini’s “Il viaggio a Reims”

During her birthday gala performance of Rossini’s "Il viaggio a Reims", Cecilia Bartoli is surprised by Pretty Yende, Lang Lang, Rolando Villazón, Plácido Domingo, Maxim Vengerov and Antonio Pappano, performing musical jewels. The Directorate honours the exceptional artist after the performance with the “Festival Brooch with Rubies”. Barrie Kosky delivers the laudation.

Carmen – Scene excerpt

In Gabriela Carrizo’s production of ‘Carmen’, the dancers of Peeping Tom bring to light what would otherwise remain hidden.

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Eroticism, Slapstick, Vocal Splendour

In Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims, the opera comments on itself – which is what has made the piece such a rewarding template for directors to this day.

“Variations of Love under a Magnifying Glass“

Elsa Dreisig, Joana Mallwitz and Christof Loy in a Terrace Talk on the Revival of the Opera CosÏ fan tutte by W. A. Mozart

Bonne fête – Gala dinner

Bonne fête - Gala dinner: An extraordinary Festival evening in honour of Cecilia Bartoli

Not Everyone Can Do This

The expanded revival of the production of Così fan tutte by Christof Loy and a semi-staged performance of Lucio Silla bring the soul-illuminator Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart centre stage.

Kaleidoscope of Love

From problem child to showpiece: Ariadne auf Naxos is a jewel from the workshop of Hofmannsthal/Strauss.

Of Love and Suffering

Benjamin Bernheim on the concert performances of the opera Werther.

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Eros and Thanatos

Modes of love and death with Teodor Currentzis at the podium: from Bizet's Carmen to Berg's Andenken eines Engels and Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem.