Honeck brothers perform together at Salzburg Festival

Brothers Manfred and Rainer Honeck are making a rare joint appearance at the Salzburg Festival in a new production of Richard Strauss’ ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’. Manfred Honeck, the conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic and music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, is performing alongside his brother Rainer Honeck, who has served as the concertmaster for the Vienna Philharmonic since 1992.

The production, directed by Ersan Mondtag, features an unconventional staging that moves the setting from Vienna to Mars. The festival production is scheduled to run through August 28.

The brothers are part of a musical family of nine siblings. Their father, Otto, a postman from Nenzing, Austria, encouraged all his children to learn instruments. Other family members involved in music include their sister Sibylle, a cellist, and their brother Otto, a pianist and coach. Manfred Honeck recently extended his contract with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra through the 2032-33 season.