Salzburg Festival

The Salzburg Festival is a prominent music festival in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The festival was founded in 1877 but was discontinued in 1910.

In 1917, at the close of World War I, the festival was revived by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Richard Strauss, the director Max Reinhardt and the conductor Franz Schalk.

In 1927 the Festspielhaus, an opera theater opened; the former riding academy was also converted into a theater. Musical repertory concentrated on Mozart and Strauss, but other works, such as Verdi's Falstaff and Beethoven's Fidelio were also performed.

From 1934 to 1937, Toscanini conducted many performances.

Closed during World War II, the Salzburg Festival reopened in 1946.