Salzburg Festival Honors Cecilia Bartoli with Festival Brooch with Rubies at Birthday Gala
By David Salazar(PHoto: Marco Borrelli)
The Salzburg Festival celebrated Cecilia Bartoli on August 8 with a surprise during a performance of Rossini’s “Il viaggio a Reims.”
During the birthday gala, the Festival Directorate presented the famed mezzo with the Golden Festival Brooch with Rubies, the highest honor the festival bestows. The evening brought together a gathering of such artists as Pretty Yende, Rolando Villazón, Plácido Domingo, Lang Lang, Maxim Vengerov, and Antonio Pappano appearing on stage to offer musical tributes to their longtime colleague.
The award was presented by Interim Artistic Director Karin Bergmann, Festival President Kristina Hammer, and Executive Director Lukas Crepaz, who honored Bartoli as an “exceptional phenomenon.” Bartoli first performed at the Salzburg Festival in 1993 and has since appeared in 83 opera performances and 10 concerts across 20 festival summers.
Since 2012 she has served as Artistic Director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, a contract extended through 2031, and in 2023 she was appointed director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
The laudation was delivered by director Barrie Kosky, who staged “Il viaggio a Reims.”
“There are many great opera singers, but there is only one Cecilia Bartoli,” Kosky said. “There is no separation between her life and her art: it’s one great, continuous, joyful dance. She views the world as a world of tomorrow — that is a rare gift.” He added: “She radiates from within. When Cecilia walks on stage, she brings her own light — and that is her soul.”
Previous recipients of the Golden Festival Brooch with Rubies include Riccardo Muti, Christa Ludwig, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, and András Schiff.
Read Related Stories
Categories
News
