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Salzburg, Austria — “Optimism doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine,” the Belarusian flutist and political activist Maria Kalesnikava said in this year’s Salzburg Festival keynote address. “It means deciding to step up and act, even in the face of uncertainty.”

Picture-perfect, Mozart-drunk Salzburg can’t pretend everything is fine. Temperatures are rising and normally rainy Salzburg now worries about water shortage and the environmental ravage of over-tourism. The artistically and culturally exceptional six-week Salzburg Festival, which began mid-July with a two-week Ouverture Spirituelle this year titled “miserere” (mercy), is facing its own political and administrative turmoil and uncertainty.

Salzburg’s worries are our worries; its triumphs can be ours as well. Los Angeles and the Salzburg Festival have been cultural and political soulmates for close to a century, beginning when playwright, director and filmmaker Max Reinhardt, who co-founded the Salzburg Festival in 1920, found mercy in L.A. as refuge from the Nazis.

Reinhardt’s star-studded 1934 music-theater production of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Hollywood Bowl offered a template for spectacle in the young amphitheater, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s participation crucially reinforced a young orchestra’s early venturesome ambition following an avant-garde Bowl season the previous summer that nearly bankrupted the Bowl. Over the next decade this Salzburger’s influence on Hollywood dramaturgy would become legend.

L.A. has reciprocated by sending our visionaries to Salzburg, where director Peter Sellars and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, for instance, have been given the license and means to inspire a reinvention of musical and theatrical thinking. L.A. arts patrons Betty Freeman and Richard Colburn provided important support for Salzburg during their lifetimes that included commissioning new work.

Gustavo Dudamel conducts Strauss’ ‘Alpine Symphony’ with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Grosses Festspielhaus in Salzburg Aug. 25, 2024.

(Marco Borrelli / Salzburg Festival)

Gustavo Dudamel, L.A. Phil’s optimist these 17 seasons, has long been a Salzburg regular as well, and he arrived last week just in time to take up Kalesnikava’s challenge. Her proclamation of optimism comes on the heels of her having been released in December from a brutal Belarusian prison for supporting an opposition candidate running against the country’s authoritarian leader.

In Dudamel’s case, his life has been turned around by the recent earthquakes that devastated Venezuela just two weeks after his last concerts in Walt Disney Concert Hall as L.A. Phil music and artistic director. His activities this summer now revolve around partnering with the United Nations Development Program to gather global support for Venezuela’s recovery, which is estimated at $6.7 billion.

Although little noted, Dudamel’s buoyant World Cup halftime appearance with 20 members of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and 20 from the New York Philharmonic was as a FIFA fundraiser supporting children affected by global crises, in this case earthquake relief in Venezuela. Dudamel has further turned his last Hollywood Bowl program as L.A. Phil music director into a benefit on Aug. 23.

Prophetically, Dudamel had months ago been invited to close this summer’s Ouverture Spirituelle by leading the Vienna Philharmonic in Mahler’s Second Symphony, known as the “Resurrection.” One way to think about Mahler’s extravagant 90-minute exercise in his search for life’s meaning is as an exercise in attaining optimism in the face of tragedy.

“Rise again, yes, you shall rise again,” Mahler extols in a final ecstatic climax, and it is with the “Resurrection,” which includes chorus and a pair of vocal soloists, that Dudamel began his “Gracias Gustavo” L.A. Phil season last fall. Raising roof, the message was clear: optimism is the native language of Walt Disney Concert Hall.

In Salzburg, where Dudamel’s two Vienna Philharmonic performances were dedicated to the people of Venezuela, those lines took on obvious new meaning. Earlier in the day, Dudamel gave a public talk with a lively German journalist, Marco Frei, in which he described himself as a “resurrectionist” in more ways than one.

The symphony has been a been a musical and spiritual guide for him since his boyhood. He became so excited about a new sense of freedom he feels in the second movement that he leaned back in his chair and kicked his white sneakers in the air.

After the talk, I walked with Dudamel back to his hotel as he displayed a different, more solemn passion describing the toll the earthquakes have taken on El Sistema, the Venezuelan youth program that has been behind his educational activism in L.A.

“At least 140 members of the El Sistema staff and educators were killed or are unaccounted for,” Dudamel said, and that’s not counting what may have happened to a great many children and their families. But remarkably, Dudamel noted, in places where few structures remain, the nucleos (the small El Sistema community schools) are surprisingly still standing. They have become centers for food, aid and shelter.

In Salzburg, Dudamel indulged the Vienna Philharmonic’s incomparable lushness, those plush strings, glowing winds, golden brass, voluminous timpani. The symphony received mixed reviews, with critics complaining of a lack of transparency, argument and depth. Had they been in Disney Hall, they would have had it all.

But here Dudamel became more simply an architect of awe, unfazed by Mahlerian uncertainty as he worked his way to an inevitable cosmic grandeur unfazed by uncertainty. An enthralled audience left opening its collective wallets. Ushers stood at all the exits of Great Festival Hall with baskets for donations for Venezuela. I did not see a single member of the audience leave without throwing in a bill or several.

Dudamel’s “Resurrection” might also be read as a message from L.A. to Salzburg. In the spring the festival board dismissed its artistic director of the past decade, Markus Hinterhäuser, saying there is a difference in vision. Hinterhäuser’s penetrating and uncompromising vision is what has made the modern festival matter. Hinterhäuser has implied political meddling.

It is a huge festival, with more than 200 performances. Last year’s audience exceeded 200,000, with visitors from 88 countries. The arts as a vehicle for coming together can be cliché. In Salzburg, sharing becomes essence, not the kind of narcissism that appears to be adopted by our upcoming LA28 cultural Olympiad, in which Angelenos are invited to submit entrees that show off our goods rather than a cultural exchange.

Over 100 artists have protested Hinterhäuser’s removal, including two Nobel Prize laureates. Hinterhäuser is also an insightful pianist, and he joined baritone Matthias Goerne in a chilling performance of Schubert’s existential song cycle, “Winterreise.” Hinterhäuser got thunderous ovations.

Salzburg’s future is anyone’s guess, but even with Hinterhäuser on the sidelines, this summer is still his festival, meaningful as ever.

A new production of “Carmen” could not be darker, nor more brilliant. It is the latest project of conductor Teodor Currentzis, who has worked extensively with Peter Sellars in Salzburg and elsewhere, and who brings electricity to every moment with his Utopia Orchestra and Choir. Argentine choreographer Gabriela Carrizo makes her debut directing opera and utilizes her alarmingly vibrant Belgian dance company, Peeping Tom. Performing in a vast empty space, two gripping singers — Asmik Grigorian plays an understated Carmen as a survivor in a hostile society, while Jonathan Teltelman’s Don José is unable to cope with that society — turn Bizet’s opera into revelatory existential theater in which survival is toleration.

A scene on the moon in director Yuval Sharon’s magical new production of Janacek’s neglected opera “The Excursions of Mr. Broucek to the Moon and the 15th Century” at the Bregenz Festival.

(Daniel Ammann / Bregenz Festival)

Something similar happens in “Faust, Part 1,” in which the actors spend the entire four hours in a new production by German director Ulrich Rasche walking against the direction of of a revolving disc. To remain in front of the audience, they must remain in motion. They’re dressed in modern business attire, but as they bare their souls, they bare their torsos as they step against forces that prevent progress. The backdrop is brightly illumined screens that hurt your eyes.

This, however, can serve as a reminder of a “Faust” staged by Reinhardt at the Pilgrimage Theater (now John Anson Ford Theater) when it was designed to look like the gates of ancient Jerusalem in 1935. Practically all of Hollywood celebrity showed up for what was the theatrical event of the season.

I asked Lukas Crepaz, who directs the Salzburg Festival’s administrative and business operations, whether it would be possible and whether there still is time for the Salzburg and L.A. to collaboration on an opera production. He said yes, if funding could be found. In fact, the L.A. Phil will mount in February “One Morning Turns Into an Eternity,” a Salonen/Sellars essay in intensity from Salzburg last summer.

Another option: The Bregenz Festival, also in Austria, has just staged a new production by Yuval Sharon of Janacek’s little-known opera, “The Excursions of Mr. Broucek to the Moon and the 15th Century.”

Sharon — who was responsible for the fabulous excursions of his L.A. experimental company, the Industry — supplies his characteristic wit, imagination and insight into a hard-to-please opera about a beer-besotted philistine landlord, who comes to no good in his drunken dreams of going to the moon and back in history, as he does as an angry old man stumbling home from the bar or sitting watching TV (Sharon’s invention).

L.A. optimism may matter more to Austria this summer than it does to L.A. We have two years to step up and act, even in the face of uncertainty.

From World Cup watch parties to spa breaks and seaside getaways, guests can enjoy a slap-up breakfast on the house

If this current heatwave has got folks fantasising about a proper summer getaway, they’re certainly not alone. There’s something about not having to make the bed or sort out breakfast that makes a morning on holiday feel infinitely more relaxing.

But with household budgets under pressure, finding a getaway that won’t break the bank is more crucial than ever. Hotel breakfasts alone can easily set a family back £40 or more per day, which is why Best Western’s latest summer offer really catches the eye.

Holidaymakers who book a break with Best Western before the end of July can bag a free breakfast for the duration of their stay. To help you capitalise on this, we’ve explored how a tasty start to the day can be teamed up with their newly launched “GEMS” (Great Experiences, Memorable Stays) packages.

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With the 2026 World Cup currently taking over our screens, attempting to host watch parties in a stuffy living room isn’t exactly appealing. With selected Best Western locations offering dedicated sports packages or lounge bars, escaping for a football-watching break could prove an inspired choice, reports Wales Online.

These convenient bundles combine a hotel room with local experiences, meals or added extras, making the entire trip simpler to arrange. Whether you’re sticking closer to home in Wales or venturing further afield, here are some of the smartest ways to maximise the offer this summer.

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Of course, the UK is also home to some of the finest golf courses in the world, and many Best Western hotels provide specially designed packages for golfers. Trade the confines of the office for the fairways with a package that includes your stay and course access.

If the summer heat is leaving you feeling more exhausted than energised, a spa package might be exactly what you need. Guests can enjoy a short break with accommodation and spa access, with optional treatments available at a selection of Signature Collection Hotels.

These include a Sunday Slowdown Spa Break at Ringwood Hall Hotel and Spa, a Twilight Spa Escape at Moor Hall Hotel or an Afternoon Tea and Spa Experience at Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel.

As temperatures rise, many Brits are drawn towards the coast. Best Western boasts a range of seaside hotels positioned along some of the UK’s most breathtaking coastlines, including Brighton, Blackpool, Newquay and Scarborough. Before venturing out to build sandcastles in the sun, a complimentary breakfast awaits.

City breaks are equally popular with families seeking entertainment during the summer holidays. With over 200 Best Western properties scattered across the UK, there are as many as 12 places to stay in London, with many more in sought-after destinations such as York, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh, offering numerous heritage and urban escapes.

With a growing number of Brits opting to holiday on home soil this summer, Macdonald Hotels is offering a range of breaks for golf enthusiasts and spa-goers, with discounts available at selected venues. For families seeking great-value getaways with entertainment and activities on their doorstep, Parkdean Resorts boasts more than 65 parks in coastal spots across the UK.

One guest who stayed at the Best Western Aberavon Beach Hotel described it as a “Brilliant hotel”, adding: ” A first class experience, pleasant stay, staff very helpful, rooms good, breakfast just what you want, good place to stay.”

Another traveller who opted for a more tranquil semi-rural stay near the Heritage Coastline chose the Premier Heronston Hotel and Spa, saying: “We were looking for somewhere to stay that was local to a beach and luckily this hotel is near Ogmore by Sea. We had a lovely, spacious room. We have 2 small children, and the hotel went above and beyond to help us with all our needs.”

A third guest who stayed at the upscale Best Western Lamphey Court Hotel and Spa remarked: “Absolutely spot on. The staff on arrival were excellent, kind and patient. Went out of their way to accommodate us. Nothing was hurried. Room was spacious and spotless. I wanted to take the bed home. Food in both restaurants was really good and breakfast although buffet style was all fresh ( I’m a fussy breakfast eater ) A perfect stay – trying to find an excuse to go back.”

Not every visitor was quite so enthusiastic, however, with one reviewer of the Pontypool Metro Hotel commenting: “The views from the hotel are not brilliant, however, everything else was very good. The room was spacious and clean and tidy. The staff were friendly and efficient. The lounge area was small but adequate. Breakfast was well-cooked and tasty. All in all a very satisfactory stay.”

A separate guest who stayed at the very same hotel offered a contrasting perspective, writing: “I came and stayed here when I was setting up a new retail store on the park. Safe car park, friendly staff. The bar is 24/7 which for me was great as I was working overnight shifts. Thank you for an easy stay, my partner and I are already planning to come back.”

A night on the beers could start in a jail cell in this unique pub, but it’s just one of the unusual buildings that has seen new life after being turned into a ‘Spoons – here’s a roundup of some unique places you can enjoy Curry Club or just a quiet pint

Love or hate Wetherspoons, you have to admit that the giant pub chain has a knack for turning some unique venues into places to grab a pint and enjoy a cheap lunch.

Across the UK, many abandoned buildings are being turned into drinking venues, and while the settings are unique, all the places have the same classic ‘Spoons menu and deals, so you know what you’re getting when you visit.

Here are some of the weirdest venues snapped up by Wetherspoons, from an old bank where you can sit in the vault, to a dramatic opera house that has kept its opulent vibes for a classy start to your night on the town.

1. The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas – a courthouse with jail cells

Built around 1901 in the Lake District town of Keswick, The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was originally a magistrates’ court and a police station, where unlucky criminals would often be caught and thrown in one of its cells for the night before trial. No doubt many a drinker ended up here after a few too many beers.

Nowadays, the sturdy brick cells have been turned into booths where you can enjoy a drink with friends, and while there’s a much cheerier atmosphere, you can still see the remains of the building’s old life. There are heavy metal doors with locks and high windows covered with bars that once kept people securely inside. However, punters are free to roam outside for a drink in the beer garden, surrounded by the classic Lake District stone buildings of this charming market town.

2. The Rawson Spring – former swimming pool

Kids who grew up in the 70s and 80s around Sheffield may well have taken their first dip in the former Hillsborough Baths, which are now a ‘Spoons called The Rawson Spring. These vast council-run baths opened in 1926 and closed in 1991, hosting many decades of swimming lessons and summer fun.

The cavernous space has since been turned into a giant Wetherspoons, and many of the original features may still be recognised by eagle-eyed former customers. The balcony around the top where spectators once stood is still intact, and you can still see the old poolside changing rooms where tables are now set up.

3. Opera House

If you’re looking for a classy and cultural setting in which to enjoy your chicken basket, then head to the Opera House in Tunbridge Wells. The name pretty much sums it up. This ornate Grade II listed building was designed by famous architect John Priestley Briggs and completed in 1902, becoming a bingo hall in the 60s before Wetherspoons snapped it up in 1996.

Its red interiors with gold accents and chandeliers still make it feel much like a space for a grand performance, and occasionally the local opera group will put on a show worthy of this beautifully preserved building.

4. The Counting House – former bank with vault

Wetherspoon has converted plenty of old banks over the years, but one of the most notable is The Counting House in Glasgow, where you can drink inside a former vault.

Once a major branch of the Bank of Scotland, this Italian Renaissance-style building was constructed between 1867 and 1870, with a high domed ceiling, marble fireplaces, Corinthian columns, and stone statues. Nowadays, the main bar sits under the dome, and punters can also sit behind bars in the old vault. Although luckily, with Wetherspoons prices, you won’t need to rob a bank to get a round in.

5. Piccadilly Hall – former amusement park loved by 90s kids

If you were a 90s kid on a day out to the capital, odds were you’d beg your parents to take you to London Trocadero. This iconic building set at 30 Shaftesbury Avenue was once the ultimate indoor amusement park, with several floors of arcade machines and even an indoor drop ride at its centre. It’s perhaps best remembered as the home of SegaWorld, which was reached by a giant rocket escalator.

When Trocadero closed, parts of it became a pod hotel, and now there are plans to turn some of the building into one of London’s largest ‘Spoons in the heart of Theatreland. Reportedly set to open in late 2026, Piccadilly Hall will span over 3,600 square feet, offer a massive 280 covers, and open from 7am until midnight, seven days a week.

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