Intendant Bernd Loebe will zu Ostern im Erler Festspielhaus ein Programm anbieten. Die Vorzeichen verheißen wenig Gutes.
© Thomas Boehm / TT
Erl – The Salzburg Easter Festival had to bow to Corona and move to an event around All Saints’ Day 2021 on a large scale. In the Festspielhaus Erl, however, there is no talk of postponement or even cancellation (yet). The low hope that Easter can be played in front of an audience between April 2nd and 5th as planned is not yet to be allowed in the Unterland.
“We are waiting until the federal government has commented on the next lockdown timetable,” the Erler festival spokeswoman said when asked. Tickets will continue to be sold and refunded in the event of cancellation.
The rehearsals in the festival hall are running. These exercises will not be entirely in vain, because one Easter program item is at least certain: Bach’s St. Matthew Passion will be performed on Good Friday (April 2nd) at 3 p.m., the hour of the crucified Christ’s death, by the festival orchestra and soloists – come whatever or who wants.
If necessary, there will be a concert in front of an empty hall, more precisely in front of an almost empty hall. ORF III will record the St. Matthew Passion in Erler and broadcast it on TV on April 3rd at 9.10 am in the series “We play for Austria”. The rest of the Easter program in Erl only takes place if the audience is allowed to attend. Big question mark. (mark)