A commentary on the Salzburg Festival by “Krone Salzburg” Editor-in-Chief Claus Pándi.
The Salzburg Festival is not just any festival. The festival is considered one of the most important cultural events in the world. The festival is an institution like the State Opera, the Burgtheater or the Albertina, which has outstripped the boring Kunsthistorisches Museum. The international reputation of the festival goes far beyond its artistic importance . It’s not about money and glitter. That too. But there is much more at stake. At a time when a government that is stumbling from one crisis to the next and a liberal opposition that is gaining strength are not helping to improve the reputation of the republic, the country needs such a strong brand of prestige as the Salzburg Festival the festival is doing as well as it is now has a lot to do with the artistic director. Director Markus Hinterhäuser is a stroke of luck for Salzburg. Now Hinterhäuser is undoubtedly a difficult one. Highly talented people are like that more often. Headstrong and quick-tempered, sensitive and creative. For Kristina Hammer, all of this is anything but easy. The President sits at the interface between the sensitive souls of artists, robust political interests and coldly calculating high finance. There’s glamor on the outside. Human dramas take place in the inner world. This is not a management job like in a corporation. It’s about feelings, it’s about passion. You have to want that.
