Especially now: Anna Netrebko will sing at the Salzburg Easter Festival in 2024

Intendant Nikolaus Bachler doesn't care that many consider her to be an undesirable person.

He engaged Anna Netrebko in 2024 for the Salzburg Easter Festival.

She sings in "La Gioconda" alongside Jonas Kaufmann.

What director Nikolaus Bachler didn't say a syllable about is revealing.

About the discussion about a diva who - so it is said - has distanced herself too little or not at all from the Russian war of aggression and Putin.

About the dispute that is currently raging at the Wiesbaden State Theater, where politicians want to prevent the soprano from appearing.

Or about other opera bosses who have announced that they want to keep this artist away from their houses, at least for the time being.

No, almost as an aside, after a 20-minute press conference in Salzburg, it is mentioned that Anna Netrebko should appear at the 2024 Easter Festival.

Sir Antonio Pappano breaks the news that he will be conducting Amilchare Ponchielli's "La Gioconda" there next year with a star cast.

Antonio Pappano comes with his Roman ensembles

That is also badly needed.

The world's most exclusive festival can actually only survive with opera hits.

As soon as the Easter Festival leaves the blockbuster zone, the demand for the tickets, which cost up to 490 euros, drops dramatically.

Unless you counter it with celebrities.

In addition to Netrebko, director Bachler also hired Jonas Kaufmann for the love and intrigue story from Venice in the 17th century.

He is already there this year when he takes on the title role in Wagner's "Tannhäuser" for the first time at the opening of the festival on April 1st.

After the forced departure from Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden, Bachler worked with different orchestras and conductors until the Berlin Philharmonic returned in 2026.

This year these are the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Andris Nelsons, in 2024, to “La Gioconda”, the Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia will make a guest appearance under Pappano.

He took over the Roman ensemble in 2005 and will say goodbye at the end of this season.

In Salzburg in 2024 he will therefore appear as "Emeritus", as he said in a good mood in the press conference.

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Partners for one season: Conductor Antonio Pappano (left) and Artistic Director Nikolaus Bachler.

© Erika Mayer

"We've always dreamed of a residence like this," enthuses the Brit with Italian roots.

This is the "highlight of our relationship".

As is usual at the Easter Festival, there are not only the opera productions, but also some concerts.

Among other things, Pappano conducts Verdi's Messa da Requiem, also with Jonas Kaufmann.

Sonya Yoncheva, Judit Kutasi and Michele Pertusi are still there.

Jakub Hrůša can also be heard as a further lecternist.

He is Principal Guest Conductor with Santa Cecilia and also succeeds Pappano as Music Director of the Royal Opera House in London.

It has long been apparent that Bachler cares little about the Netrebko debate.

"I would wish that an artist who lives in a questionable system would have an attitude to it," he said a few days ago in an interview with our newspaper.

“But who are we to demand statements from artists?

Attitude tests in art – where does it all end?

Where does it start?” Bachler accused his colleagues of having become cowardly.

"There can be no political controls at the theater gate."

Bachler wants to open the Easter Festival programmatically

Even if the former head of the Bavarian State Opera in Salzburg relies on great cuisine, Bachler would like to open the Easter Festival programmatically.

This year, among other things, this will happen with the ballet world premiere “Träume” and a concert with electronic music.

The director makes no secret of the fact that these offers are not being accepted as well as hoped.

For 2024, Bachler did not want to give any detailed information on how this path is to be pursued.

“We want to gain experience,” he put it.

"That has to establish itself first."

In any case, work is being done to attract audiences other than very wealthy classical music fans.

There should be “greatly reduced” tickets for those under 27 years of age.

In addition, a “subscription to go” will be launched with prices reduced by 30 percent.

To save money, "La Gioconda" is also being co-produced - with the Royal Opera House.

Negotiations were still being conducted with the opera in Rome, said Bachler.

In any case, the discussion flared up again yesterday, not only in the social networks, whether Netrebko should still be allowed on stage.

She has just performed in Tokyo with her husband Yusif Eyvazov. A recital of songs and arias will follow at the Scala in Milan next Sunday, before going to the May Festival in Wiesbaden for two performances.

The ban on the stage against the most famous soprano of our time is obviously being lifted.

Performances in Lucerne, Verona, Vienna and Baden-Baden are also listed in her diary.

She doesn't necessarily have to fear protests: when the artist with Russian-Austrian citizenship made a guest appearance in Regensburg last summer, there were only a dozen demonstrators in front of the Princely Palace - and ovations in the inner courtyard.