Chamber Music to the Max

The second half of Salzburg that was guilty of stealing my heart was the amazing productions we got to experience. If it wasn’t obvious from other posts on this blog it was Mozart week while we were in Salzburg which is basically a big celebration of Mozart’s birthday for a full week. Mozart week is full of top line performances of all Mozart works including opera, symphonies, masses and more. During the week we got to experience many of the performances including a mass on Sunday morning, Le nozze di Figaro that night, 2 small ensembles performing chamber music, a symphony orchestra, and a Mozart Dinner concert.

Le nozze di Figaro was a partially staged production, which means that the orchestra was actually on stage instead of in a pit and the rest of the show actually worked on the sides and in front of the orchestra. This was pretty cool because it kind of forced the performers to put on more of a show visually and it felt a bit interactive as they acknowledged the crowd often. This particular version of the opera was also extra long and I’m talking 3 1/2 hours because they included every piece Mozart wrote for this production which is quite unusual as people normally cut a few pieces based on their cast and who they are performing for. While it was quite long I am very thankful I got to experience it all.

The small ensembles were also quite fantastic but specifically the ensemble we watched from France. This ensemble had a string quartet and then a group consisting of clarinet, bassoon, oboe, and French Horn and they were absolutely amazing! The oboe player was featured in an oboe Concerto and all I have to say is wow! That was the best oboe playing I have ever heard. It was artistic, fun to watch, and clear unlike any oboe I have ever seen or heard. I am so happy we got the opportunity to experience this.

Mozarteum where we watched the french ensemble