Felsenreitschule
The Rock Riding School is a venue for the Salzburg Festival.
The prince- Summer Riding School
The Rock Riding School was established in 1693 under Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun to plans by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach at the point of conglomerate quarry for the new Salzburg Cathedral, next to the stables. It was used as the Archbishop's summer riding school and for animal baiting. The audience took place in the 96 Arkadenplatz which are in three tiers.
1841 Riding School has been adapted, extended and covered as Imperial cavalry riding school for the Hofstallkaserne. After the First World War, it is also the first army was stationed.
Venue of the Festival
Since 1926, the Rock Riding School for open-air performances of plays at the Salzburg Festival was used. The former audience arcades used since then as a natural stage. The first production was The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Max Reinhardt.
1933 built Clemens Holzmeister for Max Reinhardt here the fist city, a multiple stage for Reinhardt's legendary production of Goethe's Faust I.
Herbert von Karajan transformed the Rock Riding School in 1948 for the first time in an opera stage for performances of Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. 1949 was followed by the world premiere of Carl Orff's setting of the ancient tragedy Antigone by Sophocles in the German translation by Friedrich Hölderlin, conducted by Ferenc Fricsay.
In the years 1968-1970 the Rock Riding School was remodeled according to plans by Clemens wood champion and dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven's Fidelio, conducted by Karl Böhm. The stage of 40 meters wide, received a lower stage depth of 4 meters. Revamped also was cantilevered grandstand with the underlying scene dock. A light-proof, retractable awning rain with a rain safety net to dampen the sound to protect the stage. This roof can be opened.
Between the festival summers of 2010 and 2011, the mobile roof was redone: Thanks to the modern design, the festival won 700 m² of floor space for technology and practice rooms. The new roof panel consists of three areas and the mobile segment is extended and retracted to five telescopic arms within six minutes. Suspension points on telescopic supports for stage equipment (hoists ), improved sound and thermal insulation and two lighting bridges optimize the performance. The building dates from the team of architects HALL 1, 2012, and received recognition as the Architecture Award of Salzburg.
The Rock Riding School holds 1412 seats and 25 standing passengers. She shares her foyer with the Haus für Mozart ( Kleines Festspielhaus ).