A dispatch from the 2024 Salzburg Easter Festival: Celebrating mastery and orchestral brilliance

The 2024 Salzburg Easter Festival was an unforgettable experience, highlighted by the captivating performances of three stellar sopranos: Anna Netrebko, Lise Davidsen, and Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha alongside conductor Antonio Pappano and the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

I attended a rich array of offerings, an opera, a recital, and an orchestral concert. The opera featured was Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, marking its Salzburg debut. 

Despite the opera’s optimistic title, translated as The Happy One, the protagonist grapples with profound emotions including melancholy, anger, and even suicide.

The story takes place in 17th-century Venice during the time of the Inquisition and centers around La Gioconda, a street singer. Ponchielli had a major influence on Puccini and this opera bridges Verdi’s style with Puccini’s verismo. The libretto was written by the librettist and composer, Arrigo Boito, who adapted it from Victor Hugo’s play, Angelo, Tyrant of Padua.

In a takeoff from the French Grand Opéra, La Gioconda also has a grand ballet sequence: “The Dance of the Hours,” popularized by Walt Disney in his masterpiece, Fantasia is the best-known part of the opera.

Director Oliver Mears’ innovative interpretation breathed fresh life into La Gioconda, infusing it with modern relevance. He adapted additional background from Hugo’s original play and portrayed it innovatively, through the preludes, interludes, and the “Dance of the Hours.” La Gioconda’s father died when she was young, leaving the family penniless. “La Cieca” [“the blind woman”] pimped La Gioconda to Barnaba and others to support the family. La Gioconda rapidly learned how to make a living and this paid dividends. 

Costume designer Annemarie Woods, bedecked La Cieca in finery, including furs and evening dresses. None of this features in classical productions where La Cieca is depicted as a blind old woman dressed simply and nursing a rosary.

The innovative “Dance of the Hours,” was choreographed by Lucy Burge and danced by Liudmila Konovalova. Means modified Boito’s libretto and had La Gioconda assassinate Alvise at the climax of the dancing sequence and in the finale, La Gioconda murdered Barnaba, instead of committing suicide. Although Mears’ bold choices enriched the production, in two instances his interpretation verged on excessive: At the banquet, when Laura’s head appeared on a silver platter (à la John the Baptist in Salome) and when Gioconda was subjected by psychiatrists to electroshock therapy. 

Philipp Fürhofer’s scenic design depicted the typical Venetian backdrop with a giant cruise ship in the harbor. 

The Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with the inspiring Antonio Pappano at its helm, sustained dramatic tension throughout. He led a splendid performance and brought Ponchielli’s brilliant score to life while giving singers expressive leeway. 

The collaboration of large choral forces from the Choir of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, the Salzburg Bach Choir, and the Salzburg Festival and Children’s Choir were integral and added depth and drama, ensuring the production’s success. 

A successful performance of La Gioconda relies on a top-notch ensemble of six soloists, a target this production met. Soprano Anna Netrebko, as La Gioconda, and tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Enzo, led the pack, making their debuts in these roles.

Netrebko’s portrayal was filled with intense emotion and vocal brilliance. She began her meteoric rise as a lyric soprano and then moved into the bel canto repertory. Her voice has evolved, gaining depth in the lower range, perfectly suited for dramatic roles like La Gioconda. Her performance exuded passion with her focused voice, powerful delivery, and haunting top notes. Her tour-de-force rendition of the aria “Suicidio” (suicide) was an unquestioned highlight. 

Dressed in a blazer and sailor’s cap, Kaufmann was not a simple sailor but the captain of the cruise ship. He sang Enzo’s magnificent aria, “Cielo e Mare” (Ocean and sky), impeccably, showcasing its exquisite melodies and high notes. This is indeed one of the loveliest arias in the operatic repertoire. While Kaufmann’s burnished voice soared majestically during the intensely dramatic moments, there were instances where it lacked depth in the lower registers. 

Luca Salsi’s commanding presence as the villainous Barnaba added a layer of menace to the production and his imposing baritone was perfect for the role. His great aria “O Monumento,” a predecessor of Iago’s “Credo” in Verdi’s Otello (also in a libretto by Boito), left a lasting impression. 

Mezzo-soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux’s performance as Laura exuded warmth and beauty, particularly evident in the emotionally charged duet where both women express their love for Enzo. Hubeaux captured Laura’s affection with tenderness, juxtaposed with La Gioconda’s passionate declaration of love.

Contralto, Agnieszka Rehlis, brought noble elegance to the role of La Cieca. 

Bass, Tareq Nazmi, delivered a compelling interpretation of the odious Alvise, although his voice fell a bit short in his vengeance aria where he resolves to kill his wife. The remaining cast all delivered strong performances.

La Gioconda is infrequently performed because of its complicated plot, demanding vocal requirements, giant choral forces, and complex staging. Pappano’s outstanding orchestral and vocal guidance, along with Mears’ innovative staging, underscored the demand for more performances of this masterpiece.

SOPRANO LISE Davidsen, widely acclaimed as one of the foremost luminaries in the global opera arena, captivated audiences with a spellbinding recital, unveiling the full extent of her extraordinary vocal prowess and versatile artistry. She effortlessly transitioned between shattering fortes and delicate pianissimos. Exuding a beguiling charismatic stage presence, Davidsen opened her recital with the rendition of “Dich, teure Halle” (“You, dear hall”) from Wagner’s Tannhäuser which is her calling card. While renowned for her Wagnerian and Strauss interpretations, in this recital, she ventured most successfully into the Italian repertoire with excerpts from Verdi and Puccini. 

Joining her in this recital was the young tenor, Freddie de Tommaso. He has a voice with melting warmth and carrying power and is an abundantly gifted tenor. James Baillieu, the ideal piano accompanist, added depth to the recital’s memorable moments. 

The festival culminated in a riveting performance of Verdi’s Requiem featuring Pappano and Orchestra and Choir of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Salzburg Bach Choir. They confidently conveyed the nuances of the score. The thunderous fortissimo in the “Dies Irae” (“Day of Wrath”), heralding the end of the world, reverberated through Salzburg’s “Grosses Festspielhaus” [Great Festival House].”

The requiem featured the sublime up-and-coming soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha. She had the most demanding role in Requiem, particularly in the final “Libera me” section. Her commanding high-top C effortlessly pierced through orchestra and chorus. The transition to a hushed section, culminating with a delicate pianissimo top B flat, created a truly unforgettable moment.

The Salzburg Easter Festival represented a triumph of artistic collaboration, leaving audiences inspired. Under the stewardship of Nikolaus Bachler, the festival continues to thrive. With the return of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 2026, the festival’s future shines brightly. 

The writer, an emeritus professor of medicine, writes reviews and lectures on medical topics, music, art, history, and travel (irvingspitz.com). His email is irving@spitz.com.