The Salzburg Whitsun Festival

29 May - 01 June 2020

The History of Salzburg Whitsun Festival

In 1973 Herbert von Karajan founded the first Whitsun concerts to meet the requests for tickets by potential Easter Festival subscribers. Three orchestral concerts were performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Herbert von Karajan each day on Whitsun Saturday, Sunday and Monday until 1982. Starting in 1983 the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was also conducted by other maestros including Sir Georg Solti, Seiji Ozawa and André Previn.

Salzburg Whitsun Festival

Guest concerts by international orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the London Symphony Orchestra were added to the program after Herbert von Karajan"s death. After 1989 the initial concept of  focusing the Whitsun concerts on works by Anton Bruckner was no longer upheld. In 1997 the "Whitsun Concerts" name was given to Baden-Baden to pave the way for a new concept in Salzburg: Salzburg´s Whitsun Festival was born in 1998.

SALZBURGER FESTSPIELE
Herbert von Karajan Platz 11
5010 Salzburg

T.: +43 662 8045-500
F: +43 662 8045-555
E.: info@salzburgfestival.at

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