Salzburg Festival Blog 27 (21 Aug)

After the elation of the Premiere and the late night that followed I would have preferred a lazy morning, but it is not to be, for I have a long-arranged meeting with Landeshauptfrau (Mayoress of the whole Salzburg Region) Gabi Burgstaller. Gabi is a strong, feisty personality and unlike nearly all British politicians (since perhaps Chris Smith and Mark Fisher) is passionately interested in culture. She is proud of the Mozarteum Orchestra and the prominent part it plays not only in the Salzburg Festival, but also in the part it plays in promoting the reputation of Salzburg through its tours. We discuss several aspects of our work and our forthcoming new Symphonic Series on Sunday mornings -1st concert-October 4th with the 5th Symphony of Mahler.

After this I take a quick lunch, buy some more concert shirts (dry cleaners aren’t quick enough is this busy Festival!) and take a quick nap before the evening performance of ‘Theodora’. This is the second performance being recorded for the DVD production. There is good concentration as this is the last chance for a clean tape. I think we have it.