Big line-up of stars

All roads lead to Mozart Week 2025

Rolando Villazón (right) will perform the title role in a production of Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" next year.

(Bild: Ludwig Olah)

Rolando Villazón celebrates his favorite composer at Mozart Week 2025 with a large star line-up Sonya Yoncheva, Juan Diego Flórez , Igor Levit take center stage.

Since this year, the director of the Mozart Week has no longer reserved the program exclusively for Mozart, but also allows other composers to be heard at the festival in January - with prominent names from all over the world.

I've been trying to get him here for years, and now it's finally worked out

Rolando Villazón über Juan Diego Flórez

When Rolando calls, the much sought-after stars also come to Salzburg, such as Juan Diego Flórez. "I've been trying to get him here for years, and now it's finally worked out," enthused Villazón at the program presentation on Thursday at the International Mozarteum Foundation. He has also secured the services of soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who is making her debut at the festival, and Igor Levit, whose concert with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by none other than Andreas Ottensamer, who, after a stellar career as a clarinettist, is now increasingly appearing as a conductor.

But it is not only the artists' paths that lead to Mozart, but also those of the composers, as Villazón explained. He chose the motto "Destination Mozart" because he has brought masters such as Bach, Handel and Monteverdi into the program, who paved the way in music history for Mozart to become the genius he is celebrated as today.

In 2025, there will also finally be a fully staged production at the Mozartwoche. After Villazón himself has staged semi-staged productions for the last two years, he will perform the title role in a production of Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" next year. This is a new production based on the "L'Orfeo" production at the Semperoper Dresden.