Salzburger Kultursommer
13 – 27 July

The year 1940 was marked by war, and the Festival was pared down to a 14-day “Salzburg Summer of Culture". The programme consisted entirely of a concert series presented by the Vienna Philharmonic under the batons of Hans Knappertsbusch, Karl Böhm, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Franz Lehár. Culture had become a state monopoly manipulated from above. This became evident in the new name assigned to one of the major venues: Salzburg Stadttheater was elevated to the rank of “Landestheater”.

1940: Franz Lehár with his wife in front of the Festspielhaus.

Concert series of the Vienna Philharmonic:
9 concerts, 2 serenades

Details of the several years:

1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944,