Opera, orchestral concerts and electronic music: these are the highlights of the 2025 Salzburg Easter Festival.

The Salzburg Easter Festival is one of the top ten cultural events in the city of Mozart. Founded in 1967 by Herbert von Karajan, it features a ten-day programme of opera, orchestral concerts and other cultural highlights. The festival venues are the Großes Festspielhaus, the Great Hall of the Mozarteum Foundation and the Republic.

The centrepiece of the 2025 programme is the Russian folk drama ‘Khovanshchina’ by Modest Mussorgsky. The opera tells of the suffering and violence in Russia at the end of the 19th century and could not be more aptly chosen given the current world situation. The production will be realised by British theatre director and actor Simon McBurney and Finnish festival conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Esa-Pekka Salonen juxtaposes ‘Khovanshchina’ with Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony, also known as the ‘Resurrection Symphony’. The performers are the Bavarian Radio Choir and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra from Helsinki.

‘Stuck In Here’ is the title of the photo project presented at the festival. The works of the artist Orianne Ciantar Olive show people in conflict, giving a voice to those caught up in photos from their daily lives. The project is currently focusing on the situation in Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression.

gaysalzburg.at editor Sebastian Brandstätter has interviewed the press officer of the Easter Festival interviewed. The detailed programme overview can be found here.

Date/Time
Sat, 12.4.25 - Mon, 21.4.25