Salzburg Festival nearly sold out while others in classical music struggle to regain audience

By RONALD BLUM
Associated Press

SALZBURG, Austria (AP) — While many classical music institutions are struggling to regain audience, the Salzburg Festival in Mozart’s hometown is on track to draw people from over 75 nations to opera, concerts and drama. There are 179 performances over 43 days through Aug. 31 at 15 venues plus 34 youth performances. Highlights included new stagings of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Verdi’s ’Macbeth” and “Falstaff” plus Bohuslav Martinu’s “The Greek Passion” and Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice.” Artists include pianists Igor Levit, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Evgeny Kissin and Daniil Trifonov, and the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics headline concerts along with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.