Salzburg Festival: history and repertoire, 1922–1926 Mozart for the first season — the three Da Ponte operas and "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" [The Abduction from the Seraglio]. In the founding years the festival did not have the means to produce entire opera productions. So Strauss and Schalk brought the settings, the singers, the orchestra and the chorus from Vienna State Opera to Salzburg. The press critically noted that the opera program of the festival constituted ″the summer residence of Vienna State Opera″. Nevertheless, the performances were superb due to the orchestra, the chorus and the great singers. They came from all over Europa and created
Frank Porretta next fourteen years, performing such roles as Alfred in "Die Fledermaus", Alfredo in "La traviata", Apollo in "L'Orfeo", Belmonte in "The Abduction from the Seraglio", the Duke of Mantua in "Rigoletto", Edgar Linton in "Wuthering Heights", Frederic in "The Pirates of Penzance", Lucentio in Vittorio Giannini's "The Taming of the Shrew", Jolidon in "The Merry Widow", Luigi in "Il tabarro", Nanki-Poo in "The Mikado", Pinkerton in "Madama Butterfly", Ralph Rackstraw in "H.M.S. Pinafore", Rinuccio in "Gianni Schicchi", Sam Kaplan in "Street Scene", the Sleepwalker in "Louise", Steve in "The Cradle Will Rock", and Vladimir in "Prince Igor" among others. He