The Salzburg Festival spreads wide in both time and space: it begins in spring with the Easter Festival, gathers momentum by Whitsun, and swells to a crescendo in the height of summer. The entire city becomes a venue: performances take place in squares, palaces, churches, theatres, and concert halls. On Cathedral Square, Hofmannsthal's "Jedermann" is performed every year; concerts are held at the Mozarteum and the Residenzhof; and operas and dramatic productions are staged at the State Theatre. On the site of the prince-archbishop's former stables and riding schools, three halls were built especially for the festival: the Großes Festspielhaus, the famous Felsenreitschule stage carved into the rock, and the Haus für Mozart.

For over a century, since 1920, opera, theatre productions, and concerts of the highest caliber have attracted world-class performers and audiences from around the globe to Salzburg. Furtwängler, Karajan, Abbado... The festival has always been led by the best of the best, those who never sought easy paths or solutions. As a result, its themes have always oscillated between cosmopolitanism and patriotism, enlightenment and conservatism. Ambivalence and thematic conflict have accompanied the festival throughout its long history. And to this day, it wavers between the tense poles of avant-garde and mainstream. 

And experience has shown that this appeals to everyone: to the discerning, sophisticated audience, to the renowned musicians, and to the directors who draw inspiration from the unique atmosphere of Europe’s most famous festival city.