Bernd Alois Zimmermann: Die Soldaten

The production of Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s opera Die Soldaten was celebrated as the highlight of the 2012 Salzburg Festival. The Vienna Philharmonic performed the work under the direction of Ingo Metzmacher and together with an excellent cast at the Salzburger Felsenreitschule. An enormous ensemble of 170 musicians and 50 soloists made this highly complex composition a tangible experience for the audience. The unbelievable power of the music and its performance are also evident in the stage realisation by Latvian director Alvis Hermanis. By placing the piece on a 40-metre wide stage and also using the full height of the room, he manages to present the individual episodes simultaneously, as Zimmermann intended, thus condensing the plot into an exciting tragedy.