July 26 – August 31

Three world premieres dominate the program: the last piece of the Thomas Bernhard series is Ritter, Dene, Voss, directed again by Claus Peymann. Peter Handke’s translation of Prometheus by Aeschylus is directed by Michael Grüber – another protagonist of the great Berliner Schaubühne tradition, like Peymann. The opera program features a musical theater piece by the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, Die schwarze Maske [The Black Mask], directed by Harry Kupfer. For the first time, Sylvain Cambreling appears at the Festival, conducting the mystery play Le martyre de Saint Sébastien by Claude Debussy and Gabriele d’Annunzio. Otto Schenk, whose Nestroy productions of the past years have become true hits with the audience, joins the directorate as the new director of drama. Another forward-looking decision is the appointment of Franz Willnauer as the Festival’s Secretary General: Willnauer will already be responsible for the upcoming season as “top manager”.

1986: One last Thomas Bernhard world premiere for Salzburg: Ritter, Dene, Voss.

World Premiere
Coproduction with the Vienna Burgtheater
Thomas Bernhard
Ritter, Dene, Voss
Stage director: Claus Peymann
Sets and costumes: Karl-Ernst Herrmann
Landestheater

World premiere
Aischylos / Peter Handke
Prometheus, gefesselt
Stage director: Klaus Michael Grüber
Sets and costumes: Antonio Recalcati
Felsenreitschule

New production
Heinrich von Kleist
Der zerbrochne Krug
Stage director: Dieter Dorn
Sets and costumes: Jürgen Rose
Landestheater

World premiere
Coproduction with the Vienna Staatsoper
Krzysztof Penderecki
Die schwarze Maske
Conductor: Woldemar Nelsson
Stage director: Harry Kupfer
Stage sets: Hans Schavernoch
Costumes: Reinhard Heinrich
Kleines Festspielhaus

Coproduction with the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie Bruxelles and the Teatro alla Scala Milano
Claude Debussy / Gabriele d‘Annunzio
Le martyre de Saint Sébastien
Conductor: Sylvain Cambreling
Stage director and Choreographie: Maurice Béjart
Stage sets and costumes: Maurizio Balo
Großes Festspielhaus

Revivals: Jedermann, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Jephtha, Carmen, Capriccio

15 Orchestral Concerts, 8 Chamber Concerts, 5 Serenades, 13 Matinees, 8 Solo Recitals, 11 Lied Recitals, 4 Church Concerts, 1 Choir Concert, 4 Literary Recitals

Opening Speach by Clemens-August Andreae: „Kunstwerke zwischen Ästhetik und Ökonomik“

Details of the several years:

1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989,