Robin Ticciati enjoys his stay at the arthotel Blaue Gans while rehearsing "Le Nozze di Figaro" for the Salzburg Festival. GÄNSEHAUT joined him for breakfast.
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It is not the first you are staying at the Blaue Gans and it’s not your first time in Salzburg either, is it?
No, yes, the first time actually, the first time I came, I assisted Simon Rattle doing the Peter Grimes 2005 and I stayed in a monastery, which is the one, you know the Platz by the Landestheater, the one just there. It was amazing and I had to have breakfast basically in silence. It was incredible but I thought next time I come maybe I treat myself to a hotel. And I did the Mozart Woche, that was with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, in 2007 and then I stayed here at the Blaue Gans, it was the first time I stayed here. It is a really warm place.
Is there something specific to Salzburg to you?
Let me think. I think I love… I love the attention to detail and the sort of relaxed quality of it as well. I also like the food, this incredible mixture of wonderful fresh produce. Yesterday I went to the market at Mirabellplatz. That was incredible. There is something about the food here that I very much enjoy.
Do you have a preferred dish?
Not really, actually, no. I love food, full stop. I don’t really have an answer, Salzburg is a very special place. I love the air here. And this hotel is so special as well. What’s so great is the staff is so friendly and the quality is so high, yet it’s in no way pretentious, you know. They get such a good balance.
And now you are here again for "Le Nozze di Figaro" at the Salzburg Festival. This of course leads me to the obvious question, what does Mozart mean to you?
He’s not like any other. For me personally, I can only speak personally, he has the most perfect reflection of the human soul, about humanity, but somehow seen from some other place than where we are. He sees it from the sky, or nature or somewhere. I think he understands humanity so unbelievably well, and he shows us with his music that when you hear it, you feel everything that’s possible to feel.
Is this only possible with Mozart?



