Works by Jakob Lang will illustrate the concert programme booklets for this year's Salzburg Festival – a total of 120 works from seven series will accompany the guiding theme „Faith and Light“.
Freilassing/Oberteisendorf. Freischaffende Künstler Jakob Lang from Freilassing, whose studio is in Oberteisendorf, is to receive a special honour: his works will illustrate the programme booklets for this year's Salzburg Festival concert series.
This year, the concert series is being held under the guiding theme of „Faith and Light“. The programme includes works by Olivier Messiaen, characterised by theological depth, nature observation and rhythmic complexity, a homage to the composer of the century György Kurtág, Mahler's „Resurrection Symphony“, Verdi's Requiem, as well as works by Johannes Brahms. All of these address themes such as faith, hope, death, resurrection and light.
The choice of Jakob Lang is no coincidence. His art has revolved around the themes of faith, creation, light, and humanity for many years, thus fitting uniquely into the artistic concept of the concert series. Works such as „Mörgenröte“ (Dawn), „Ewige Hoffnung“ (Eternal Hope), „Friede“ (Peace), „Erschaffen“ (Created), „Genesis I,“ and „Heiland“ (Saviour) impressively express these ideas and can intensify the musical experience. Just as the concert programme paints a wealth of intense timbres, viewing the pictures underlines the themes of faith, light, and hope, impressively connecting music and painting.
A total of 120 works by Jakob Lang will be featured in the 60 concert programmes. These include pieces from the „Rhythm“ series, created during his early years, the now well-known „Gold“ and „Japangold“ series, as well as the new „Trinity“ series, which will be released for the first time as part of the Salzburg Festival. This is a poetic photo series with motifs partly tailored specifically for the festival. Depending on the concert, the print run for the programmes ranges from around 300 to 3,000 copies.
With his works, Jakob Lang finds himself in illustrious company at the Salzburg Festival. Twenty ink drawings by Andy Warhol were selected for the main programme booklet, which was already released last November. The works, created between the 1950s and 1980s, reflect the content of the various art forms – opera, drama, and concert.
The Salzburg Festival has been collaborating with prominent contemporary artists for many years on the design of its programmes. As early as 1955, Oskar Kokoschka shaped the festival's visual identity with his stage designs, costumes, and poster art. He was followed by artistic personalities such as Anselm Kiefer, Robert Wilson, Jörg Immendorff, Eva Schlegel, and Martha Jungwirth. Now, Jakob Lang, an artist from our region, joins this notable list.
Under one of his works, Jakob Lang once wrote the sentence: „God must have been in love, and also thinking a little about paradise, when he made the Berchtesgaden region.“ „And Salzburg too,“ one could add, with a view to this year's festival.
Between 17 July and 30 August, Salzburg will once again be the stage for the world's largest cultural event. Anyone holding one of the concert programmes this summer will also encounter the art of an artist from our region – and thus a piece of the Berchtesgaden region on the international stage.
Anyone who wants to learn more about the visual arts at the Salzburg Festival can do so on an approximately two-hour guided tour of the „Living Archive“. Between 18 and 29 August, a total of thirty dates will be offered, which can be viewed on the Salzburg Festival homepage.
By Monika Konnert
Photo: The artist Jakob Lang in his studio with the programme booklet and one of the works printed in the programme booklet. Photo: Monika Konnert
Passauer Neue Presse PNP – Saturday, 11 July 2026
