YSP Closing Concert — Mozarteum Orchestra · Cimento

House for Mozart

In his libretto for Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier, Luigi Illica gave the character of Carlo Gérard—once a lackey, now a revolutionary hero—a phrase taken from the Girondist Vergniaud, who was executed in 1793: "The revolution devours its own children." This prominent quote reflects the core of the opera's plot, which premiered at La Scala in Milan in 1896: In a powerful historical narrative, it demonstrates how the French Revolution, in the course of its radicalization, also turned against people who had shared its ideals. Among them is the poet André Chénier (1762-1794), who is introduced in the opera as a guest at a nobleman's feast in 1789. In this decadent atmosphere, musically evoked by Rococo allusions, Chénier dares to denounce the social injustices of the Ancien Régime, provoking outrage but impressing the hostess's daughter, Maddalena, and the rebellious servant Carlo Gérard. After a leap in time of five years, we meet these three characters again under completely different circumstances. In her famous aria "La mamma morta," Maddalena describes how her family and possessions were taken from her, and how only her faith in love, to which Chénier once opened her eyes, kept her alive. However, Chénier cannot offer her the protection she seeks from him; as a critic of Robespierre's Reign of Terror, he, too, is acutely threatened. Even Gérard appears to be a victim of the political situation: after shying away at the last moment from exploiting his current position of power to subjugate the passionately desired Maddalena, he remorsefully tries to save the imprisoned Chénier from the guillotine - in vain.

Andrea Chénier

Great Festival House

The gruesome image presented right at the beginning of Handel's opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1724) would warrant a trigger warning, given today's sensitivities. After the welcoming chorus for Caesar and the solemn declarations of peace, a severed human head appears—the head of Caesar's political opponent, the Senate favorite Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.

Giulio Cesare in Egypt

Right at the beginning of George Frideric Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1724), a gruesome image is shown: the severed head of Gnaeus Pompeius. Caesar's reaction raises questions: Is he outraged by the murder, its brutality, or the loss of control? The image of the head forces us to examine the rationality of political violence. The opera thus becomes a reflection on power, rivalry, and irreconcilability, addressing existential threats in a space dominated by combat. The plot draws on the following historical background: After the Battle of Pharsalus, Pompey fled from Caesar to Egypt, where he was killed by Achillas. Caesar sharply condemned the bloody deed against a Roman and subsequently defeated the Egyptians in the Alexandrian War as a token of atonement. George Frideric Handel and librettist Nicola Franceso Haym created characters that transcend political camps and are humanly touching. In the new Salzburg production, Dmitri Tcherniakov directs, with Emmanuelle Haïm conducting – a constellation of explosive creative power. Featuring, among others, Christophe Dumaux (Giulio Cesare), Olga Kulchynska (Cleopatra), Lucile Richardot (Cornelia), Federico Fiorio (Sesto), Yuriy Mynenko (Tolomeo), Andrey Zhilikhovsky (Achilla), Jake Ingbar (Nireno), Robert Raso (Curio), the Salzburg Bach Choir,and the Le Concert d'Astrée Orchestra. At the Festival Opening Ceremony, we invite you to an exclusive insight into the stage orchestra rehearsal. The premiere of Giulio Cesare in Egitto will take place on July 26.

Robert Raso

Events

Past events

Aug 28, 2025

YSP Closing Concert — Mozarteum Orchestra · Cimento · Salzburger Festspiele

Aug 25, 2025

Andrea Chénier · Salzburger Festspiele

Future and recently performed repertoire

Mathieu in Andrea Chénier by Giordano

Salzburger Festspiele

Curio in Giulio Cesare by Handel

Salzburger Festspiele

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