Salzburg Festival 2020

I just placed my order for tickets to next summer's Salzburg Festival. Looking at the offerings I decided to focus on concerts in the second half of August. Here is what I ordered:

ORDERS (9) 15 Aug CONCERT 11:00, Grosses Festspielhaus Vienna Philharmonic · Muti 1 Ticket Category 6 € 85.- 16 Aug CONCERT 19:30, Stiftung Mozarteum — Großer Saal Beethoven Cycle 8 – Levit 1 Ticket Category 3 € 55.- 17 Aug OPERA 20:00, Felsenreitschule Richard Strauss Elektra 1 Ticket Category 6 € 75.- 20 Aug OPERA 18:00, Grosses Festspielhaus Modest Mussorgsky Boris Godunov 1 Ticket Category 7 € 75.- 21 Aug CONCERT 18:00, Stiftung Mozarteum — Großer Saal Camerata Salzburg · Lonquich 1 Ticket Category 4 € 60.- 23 Aug CONCERT 11:00, Stiftung Mozarteum — Großer Saal Mozart Matinee · Á. Fischer 1 Ticket Category 4 € 60.- 25 Aug CONCERT 19:30, Felsenreitschule Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester · Metzmacher 1 Ticket Category 4 € 85.- 27 Aug CONCERT 19:30, Grosses Festspielhaus Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra · Honeck 1 Ticket Category 6 € 80.- 28 Aug CONCERT 11:00, Grosses Festspielhaus Vienna Philharmonic · Dudamel 1 Ticket Category 6 € 80.-

The Vienna Phillies are performing the Symphony No. 9 by Beethoven which I have never heard in concert. The Levit concert is part of his complete cycle of the Beethoven piano sonatas. This concert includes op. 109, 110 and 111, three of my favorites. Back in the late 80s when I was a student there, they did a lot more of this. That year Brendel played all the Schubert sonatas, the Alban Berg Quartet did all the Beethoven quartets and Stockhausen's ensemble did seven concerts of his chamber music.

Then I am going to two operas. I chose operas I didn't know over a couple of Mozart operas which I sort of know! Hope I made the right choice. I am really looking forward to Boris Godunov. This version was orchestrated by Shostakovich. The concert on the 21st is rather a marathon. It goes from 6 to 11pm and will include ALL the Beethoven piano concertos with Alexander Lonquich both as soloist and conductor. The Mozart Matinee includes an early symphony and the 41st. The Mahler Jugendorchester has this program:

MODEST MUSSORGSKY

Prelude 'Dawn over the Moscow River' from the opera Khovanshchina

Songs and Dances of Death

DMITRY SHOSTAKOVICH

Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43

The Pittsburgh Symphony concert includes the Beethoven Violin Concerto and the Bartók Concerto for Orchestra. The Dudamel concert includes a Liszt Piano Concerto and the Firebird. And I forgot to book a ticket to the Daniil Trifinov concert with a terrific program of 20th century music. So I went back and added that one. Sometime around the end of March I will find out if I have been "alloted" the tickets.

So, looks like a very full and satisfying festival. Will I see any of my readers there?

For our envoi, how about that Symphony No. 4 by Shostakovich? This is the one he withdrew from rehearsal in 1936 after he was denounced in Pravda. He wrote the Symphony No. 5 to restore his standing with Stalin. Bernard Haitink probably conducting the Concertgebouw: