Anyone attending the last July weekend of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl back in 2025 will surely remember how Luca Salsi’s performances were among the highpoints of the summer festival. His portrayals of the title role in Rigoletto and as Giorgio Germont in La traviata set new benchmarks for these roles. And in what is a rare gesture of spontaneous affection, he was even greeted by thunderous applause by his new fans when they saw him among them in the audience at the Festspielhaus on his evening off. And this enthusiasm proved mutual, with Salsi expressing an immediate desire to return to us in Erl. Since schedules in the opera business are usually a matter of long-term planning, that wasn’t an easy wish to fulfil for our star Italian baritone.

But then we had the idea of organising a Lieder matinée for 2027 in which he might present music from his homeland and reveal a different, more intimate aspect of his artistry. Welcome back, caro Luca!