"A large-scale ‘road movie’ through the theatre"

Stage director Jens-Daniel Herzog explains his production of Die Meistersinger

"We have decided to play the whole story within the world of the theatre, says Herzog, "in a ‘theatrum mundi’. It is a great journey through a theatre that has an old Meistersinger production in its repertoire. One important aspect is that it is a big love story, an amour fou in the world of theatre and art, one in which there are many competing interest groups that want to keep the lovers apart, though love in the end is victorious. The whole work is a large-scale ‘road movie’ through the theatre, one in which we wouldn’t expect the lovers to come together at the end if we didn’t already know the work. But they do come together – after all, this is a comedy, albeit a very long one."

Watch the fourth and last of our short videos (in German) about Die Meistersinger, again with Jens-Daniel Herzog, on the right (click thumbnail) >

"A debut is something really exciting"

Christian Thielemann speaks about Georg Zeppenfeld and Jacquelyn Wagner

The Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival is responsible for the musical directon of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In an interview he talks about the debut of Georg Zeppenfeld as Hans Sachs and about Jacquelyn Wagner and her role of Eva. The American soprano will make her first appearance in Salzburg. 

Watch the third of our four short videos about Die Meistersinger on the right >

What are Die Meistersinger all about? - "Only everything", says Jens-Daniel Herzog

An interview with the director of the new opera production

Jens-Daniel Herzog is responsible for the stage direction of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. When being asked, which aspect is the most important in this opera, he answers with a quote by his teacher Dieter Dorn.

Watch the second of our four short videos about Die Meistersinger with Jens-Daniel Herzog on the right >

Can art function as a unifying force in society?

This is one of several fascinating topics that Christian Thielemann and Jens-Daniel Herzog discuss in a series of short films (in German) that will be successively shown on this website. In the first film, Christian Thielemann speaks about his favourite opera.

Christian Thielemann will be conducting Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the 2019 Salzburg Easter Festival, directed by Jens-Daniel Herzog. They both expound on the relevance that this opera – Richard Wagner’s only comedy – can have as a ‘plea for tolerance’ in today’s times.

Christian Thielemann talks about engaging Georg Zeppenfeld to make his debut in the role of Sachs, and he discusses the challenges posed by singing Eva, in which role the soprano Jacquelyn Wagner will be making her Salzburg debut. Jens-Daniel Herzog also reveals the context in which his Meistersinger production will take place.

Watch the first of these four films by clicking the thumbnail on the right. >>>

Individual tickets for subscription performances available

Since 1 December 2018 it is again possible to order individual tickets remaining for the two subscription series at the 2019 Salzburg Easter Festival

These are for the following performances:

•    Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, 13 & 22 April
•    Orchestral concert with Mariss Jansons and Regula Mühlemann, 14 & 21 April
•    Orchestral concert with Christian Thielemann and Frank Peter Zimmermann, 15 & 20 April
•    Choral concert with Venera Gimadieva, Elisabeth Kulman, Pavol Breslik, René Pape and the Bavarian Radio Chorus under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach, 16 & 19 April

Tickets can be ordered in the online shop, by e-mail to karten@ofs-sbg.at, or by post via the Ticket Office of the Salzburg Easter Festival, Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz 11, 5020 Salzburg.

2019 Salzburg Easter Festival: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

After having focused on an opera of the Italian verismo, the programme of the coming Salzburg Easter Festival season features once again a work by Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In both opera and concerts there will again perform international renowned soloists.

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg are the main work in the 2019 Salzburg Easter Festival programme. Christian Thielemann will conduct and Jens-Daniel Herzog will direct. The sets will be designed by Mathis Neidhardt and the costumes by Sibylle Gädeke. An exceptional cast will perform, with Georg Zeppenfeld in his role debut as Hans Sachs, Vitalij Kowaljow as Veit Pogner, Adrian Eröd as Beckmesser, Klaus Florian Vogt as Walther von Stolzing, Sebastian Kohlhepp as David and Jacquelyn Wagner as Eva.

The 2019 Herbert von Karajan Prize will be awarded to Mariss Jansons, who will be the guest conductor in performances of Haydn’s ‘Military’ Symphony and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, the latter with Regula Mühlemann as soprano soloist.

Frank Peter Zimmermann, who will be the ‘Capell-Virtuos’ of the Staatskapelle Dresden in the 2018/19 season, will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Moreover he will be both soloist and conductor in the Concert for Salzburg.

The choral concert, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, will feature Antonín Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with soloists Venera Gimadieva, Elisabeth Kulman, Pavol Breslik and René Pape and the Bavarian Radio Chorus.

Tobias Moretti will be the reciter in Arnold Schoenberg’s Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, which will be performed in the chamber concert.

The 2019 programme also features the world première of an exciting piece of music theatre: the chamber opera Thérèse by German composer Philipp Maintz, after the novel by Émile Zola.