Zwischen Österreich und Grossdeutschland: Eine politische Geschichte der Salzburger Festspiele, 1933–1944, by Robert Kriechbaumer

Abstract

Robert Kriechbaumer’s book details the history of the Salzburg Festival first within the framework of the relationship between the Austrian Republic and the Third Reich and, after the Anschluss in March 1938, as a part of the Nazi cultural establishment. The festival, founded in 1920 by Max Reinhardt and Hugo von Hofmannsthal, suffered jolts after Hitler’s coming to power in 1933, because Hitler coveted Austria and the annual event was viewed as a competitor to the Bayreuth Festival, which Hitler personally patronised. In order to hurt Austria generally, and Salzburg in particular, Hitler imposed a 1,000 mark toll on German visitors to Austria on 27 May 1933, which resulted not only in a reduction of German visitors, but also in a temporary leave-taking by major German artists such as composer Richard Strauss and conductor Clemens Krauss. After May, not even the increased presence of Arturo Toscanini could compensate for the loss of the German musicians. In addition, the visitor toll contributed to a diminution of funding for the Salzburg Festival. Subsequent increases in the number of other foreign visitors, especially from the United States and including many Jews, did not satisfactorily remedy the festival’s plight. Even after the toll had been lifted in 1935, further complications arose because of the increased presence of Austrian Nazis (even though they had been outlawed by Vienna on 19 June 1933) and Benito Mussolini, who was keen to prevent the annexation of Austria by the German government. After the eventual Anschluss, the Salzburg Festival was by and large Nazified and reduced in significance by the overpowering presence of the Bayreuth Festival. The loss of Bruno Walter, the anti-Fascist Toscanini and many operatic singers such as Lotte Lehmann and Alexander Kipnis, not to mention Reinhardt himself, had been difficult to offset; outstanding artistic talent tended to gravitate to Bayreuth. With the onset of the Second World War, the Salzburg Festival was used as a cultural training ground for the Wehrmacht, as it had already been for Nazi paramilitary formations such as the Hitler Youth and the Reich Labour Service.