Probably no other work is as closely associated with the Salzburg Summer Festival as Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s (1874-1929) "Jedermann. Das Spiel vom Sterben des reichen Mannes." Every summer, in good weather, Salzburg’s famous Cathedral Square is transformed into the beautiful backdrop for the play - which can by now look back on nearly 700 performances. Central issue of the Salzburg Festival classic is the timeless question of death and the afterlife. Even Hugo von Hofmannsthal was aware that dealing with death had increasingly moved to the margins of society. A fact that has become even more acute for today’s generation, although the current pandemic shows us how quickly this can change in public discourse. As a basis Hofmannsthal used an English play of the 16th century, "Everyman. A Morality Play," as well as various songs from medieval Minnesang. Despite both, classical and medieval references, von Hofmannsthal deliberately created a work free of any time of action.

The myth of the seducer of women Don Juan (or in this case Don Giovanni) belongs to the world history of literature. This type of man is regarded as the personification of the instinctive libertine who disregards both the social order and divine laws and who ultimately despises the women whom he oppresses countlessly and arbitrarily.W. A. Mozart’s (1756-1791) ingenious librettist Lorenzo da Ponte was also taken with this demonic figure of the eternal seducer, to whom the composer left the choice of the theme. After the triumphant success of “Le nozze di Figaro”, he was to write a new opera for the usual fee of one hundred ducats at the imperial request. Mozart’s entire creative power flowed into “Don Giovanni” and left the world of opera with music of supernatural beauty, alternating between cheerful opera buffa and great tragedy. They are striking for their rapid changes and sharp contrasts: sweet love arias alternate with dark passages that emanate a sense of death. In addition to the lascivious figure of the protagonist Don Giovanni and the comic figure of his servant Leporello, the two female characters Donna Anna and Donna Elvira symbolize great humanity, while the commander, who finally dissolves the drama, symbolizes the higher forces.Through the unique fusion of these highly inhomogeneous elements, Mozart’s masterpiece is rightly considered one of the most perfect operas ever. Entertaining side note: Giacomo Casanova, Italian gallant and bon vivant par excellence, attended the premiere in Prague in 1787.