Salzburger Festspiele: Zaide oder Der Weg des Lichts

Зальцбург: Заида, или Путь света

The Singspiel "Zaide" is a pasticcio; Mozart wrote only its middle part, leaving its plot a mystery. Every director is free to choose how to tell this story.

The concept is by Raphael Pichon, a rising star among the new generation of early music conductors following in the footsteps of Harnoncourt and Gardiner. He chose as his production's leitmotifs the struggle against tyranny, the power of true love, and, above all, a profound yearning for freedom.

On the stage of the colossal Felsenreitschule, there is only the play of light and shadow. And people: the baroque ensemble Pygmalion, known for its bold interpretive choices, soloists, and a choir, all dressed in white shirts. No sets. This is a story told through gesture, movement, and song. It is a rare Mozart (thus noteworthy in itself), yet it is still the same great Mozart, which makes "Zaide" invaluable.

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Actors

Zaide

Sabine Devieilhe

Persada

Lea Desandre

Gomatz

Julian Prégardien

Soliman

Daniel Behle

Allazim

Johannes Martin Kränzle

Crew

Concept & Conductor

Raphaël Pichon

Texts by

Wajdi Mouawad

Lighting & Costume designer

Bertrand Couderc

About

Raphaël Pichon and his Pygmalion Choir and Orchestra are now known for their unusual new interpretations. For the Salzburg Festival, they present Mozart's opera fragment "Zaide" and the cantata "Davide penitente" in a new semi-staged production. Combined with other excerpts from Mozart's oeuvre and texts by the Lebanese-Canadian writer Majdi Mouawad, this "Zaide" is a dramatic story about the struggle for freedom and the right to love and live. The evening’s dramaturgy is based on the effective contrast between darkness and light, deception and truth. The lighting designer Bertrand Couderc, a longtime collaborator of Pygmalion, fills the Felsenreitschule’s space with overwhelming atmospheres. Here, the quest for freedom will also be a search for light – a profound hope for reconciliation.

Special project

Salzburger Festspiele

Three times a year – at Easter, at Whitsun, and in summer – Salzburg is transformed: the Music arrives. It echoes through the cobblestone streets of the Old Town (Altstadt), in historic theatres, churches, and concert halls. It gathers the most renowned performers, directors, conductors, and critics. And, of course, the audience from all over the world. Because there is no other festival like it: the Salzburg Festival lures with bold, unique opera productions and stirs an irresistible desire to see it all! →