The Salzburg Easter Festival closes tomorrow with the final performance of Wagner's Das Rheingold -- sold out, like every other event in the 11-day run [1]. The production marks the return of the Berliner Philharmoniker to Salzburg after a 13-year absence and the beginning of a new Ring cycle that will unfold over the coming years under chief conductor Kirill Petrenko [2].

Herbert von Karajan founded the Easter Festival in 1967 as a vehicle for the Berliner Philharmoniker. The orchestra's departure in 2013 left a void that various ensembles filled but none replaced. Petrenko's Ring, staged by Kirill Serebrennikov, restores the founding relationship [2]. Reviews have been divided on Serebrennikov's post-apocalyptic staging -- the Financial Times called it "so visually loud it almost drowns out the music" [3] -- but unanimous on the orchestra. Petrenko's Mahler Eighth, performed alongside the Rheingold run, was described by Seen and Heard International as sweeping "all before it" [4].

The festival ran March 27 through April 6 with orchestral concerts, chamber music, and the Be Phil project bringing amateur musicians from nine countries to play alongside the Berliner Philharmoniker [2]. The next instalment of the Ring -- Die Walkure -- follows in 2027.

-- CHARLES ASHFORD, London