From Anna Netrebko to Placido Domingo: The Salzburg Festival in pictures

It was a founding member of the Salzburg Festival, Max Reinhard, who quipped that the "whole city was a stage." Twelve venues hosted 70 events this year in the Austrian town, which were enjoyed for free by the 150,000 local residents. This year, however, the prestigious Salzburg Festival - a must on the art lover's culture calendar - got mixed reviews.

The theme of inequality wove itself through the program at the Salzburg Festival, and opposites like "up and down" or "protest and obedience" were touched on in the operas and plays. It wasn't all about politics, however. In Shakespeare's play "The Comedy of Errors," two sets of twins experience a slapstick shift between poverty and affluence.

The Salzburg Festival was founded in 1920 with a performance of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's "Jedermann" (Everyman), directed by Max Reinhardt. The play is still regularly performed in Salzburg. It's about a miserly wealthy man who dies, but avoids the devil's grip only by the grace of God. Actor Christoph Franken played the devil this year.

A highlight of this year's festival was a new production of the 1991 opera, "The Conquest of Mexico," which was well received by critics and viewers. Composer Wolfgang Rihm created an overwhelming curtain of sound to portray the victory of the Spaniards over the Aztecs. The piece of modern musical theater was a breath of fresh air at the festival.

The adaptation of Bertold Brecht's "Threepenny Opera," directed by Sven-Eric Bechtolf, turned out to be a disappointment and was criticized for sounding like a musical. Critic Anke Dürr wrote, "It was a huge optical and acoustic overkill that did not resonate in the present. The 'Threepenny Opera' echoed in the vacuum of artistic space."

Sven-Eric Bechtolf is the interim director of the Salzburg Festival - and also directed Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro." For some critics, his version was too shallow, though the audience enjoyed the story of the count who tries to delay his servants' wedding. Czech bass-baritone Adam Plachetka was applauded as Figaro.

The Salzburg Festival claims to have the most comprehensive festival program in the world. But due to budget constraints, it had to cut its shows down from 223 in 2014 to 188 this year. There was no shortage of stars, however. Tenor Placido Domingo celebrated his 40th visit to the Salzburg Festival.

The festival also cut back on new productions this year. Last year's production of Verdi's "The Troubadour," featuring Anna Netrebko and Placido Domingo, was a box office smash that begged for a repeat. Domingo had to cancel at the last minute due to health reasons, but Netrebko wowed the public as usual with her charm and virtuosity.

Another highlight was star tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the role of Florestan in a new production of Beethoven's only opera, "Fidelio." He performed alongside Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka as Leonore. Austrian conductor Franz Welser-Möst from the Vienna Philharmonic took charge of the pit.

Along with Placido Domingo, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter received special recognition in Salzburg. Thirty years ago, she debuted at the festival with conductor Herbert von Karajan, performing Tchaikovsky's violin concerto, and has been a regular guest ever since. This time she received standing ovations for her performance of Brahms and Tchaikovsky, with Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic.

In addition to Anne-Sophie Mutter, a number of other familiar faces were on the program. Pianist Maurizio Pollini and conductors Daniel Barenboim and Nikolaus Harnoncourt are also regulars. But it's the Vienna Philharmonic that has the record for the most festivals: They've been playing in Salzburg for the past 90 years.