The soundtrack of Europe

This poor old Europe of nations, so under fire of late, turns to music every summer to find a common language that cuts across borders better than any treaty ever could. Hundreds of festivals, concerts and electronic raves across the continent articulate an entire culture of dress, food and drink that reveals how close we are to the members of our own tribe (whether the Wagnerians of Bayreuth, the electronic hipsters of Berlin or the musical sybarites of Luzerne).

The summer music season has kicked off in Europe, and after the highly popular Benicàssim FIB and Monegros Desert Festival in Spain, attention has moved on from electronica and pop to classical music. Wagner and Verdi are the stars of the show this season. The Bayreuth festival in Germany (July 25 through August 28) is a mandatory place of pilgrimage for Wagner fans, even if it is something of a sacrifice because of the heat and the uncomfortable old theater. Anyone lucky enough to actually get tickets (the waiting list can be eight years, and people cannot even choose what they want to see) will know by now that this year marks the premiere of a brand new Ring of the Nibelung with stage design by Frank Castorf and Kirill Petrenko in the conductor's stand. The festival is to be inaugurated by Christian Thielemann, the guardian of Germanic musical essences and a favorite to head the Berlin Philharmonic in the near future. Young audiences also have a specially adapted version of Tristan et Yseult that lasts one hour and 15 minutes.

Any free time granted by Wagnerian fervor will be well spent at a restaurant called Eule. Recently restored, it preserves period photographs and all the dishes that the composer himself liked to eat. Its cuisine is not particularly elaborate, but it is definitely a good place to debate the concerts of the day, preferably still dressed in one's tuxedo.

Another good place for musical debate is an eatery called Magazine in Salzburg, home to the famous festival (July 19 through September 1). The establishment has a drinks bar and a large table that seats 30, which is placed in the patio when the weather is good. The locally produced wines will ensure a good flow of conversation, which will no doubt focus on the Nabucco that Riccardo Muti will bring over from Rome in late August (who knows how this went down with the sacrosanct Vienna Philharmonic!). Or it might center on the Falstaff to be conducted by Zubin Mehta. And those who come every year will not fail to comment on the tension in the air this year following the announcement that festival director Alexander Pereira will be leaving his post in 2014, two years earlier than his term mandated, due to his acceptance of a position with La Scala in Milan.

The chef at Mithridat is into motorbikes, flamenco and travel

If you go to Salzburg, do not miss this year's gastronomic project by the chef Stefan Brandtner, a down-to-earth guy who likes motorcycles and flamenco and who opens a new pop-up restaurant every season in the city, then spends the rest of the year traveling the world. The name of the place is Mithridat. If no tables are available there, a cheaper option that is close to the concert venues is the beer hall St. Peter, which serves sausages and a fantastic schnitzel in any one of the rooms on the establishment's three floors.

But the star of this summer's classical music festival will be Luzerne. The lakeside festival turns 75 this year and it will celebrate on August 25th with a surprise concert that promises to feature a spectacular hit parade of stars. Foremost among these will be Claudio Abbado, the event's spiritual guide. The 27 symphony concerts scheduled here include performances by the Berlin Philharmonic under the conductorship of Simon Rattle, who brings a spectacular program based on Mozart, Schoenberg and Stravinsky.

Galliker is a restaurant with long tables and benches where it is best to go with the flow and try one of the hearty dishes of the day. This place has been here since 1856, so they really know what they're doing. However, if one prefers Italian flavors, then by all means cross the lake and saunter over to Padrino.

A much smaller place than Luzerne is Marciac, in southern France. It is located very near Pau, it has a population of 1,300, and it lives and breathes jazz. From July 26 to August 15, it hosts one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. The avant-garde John Zorn (who is embarking on a real marathon this year at the San Sebastián festival) and Wynton Marsalis are two of the regulars there. In fact, the latter devoted a suite and an entire album to it in 1999. During the day it is nice to go for a stroll along its little streets and markets and eat at the local square, which is full of bars and restaurants.

Bayreuth festival goers can try dishes Wagner liked at the Eule restaurant

Following in the wake of jazz, Lisbon is hosting Jazz Em Agosto the first 10 days of the month. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the festival and the lineup features some of the world's most advanced musicians, such as Anthony Braxton, Peter Evans, Pharoah Sanders or the Sun Ra orchestra. Good drink stops with a jazz ambiance are the Ateneu Café or the legendary Hot Club, one of Portugal's oldest jazz clubs.

Some of these roads surely lead to Rome, which is hosting an international tribute to Rudolf Nureyev on the 20th anniversary of the dancer's death on July 28. The performances will be held at the Music Park Auditorium, and feature principal dancers from the Opéra de Paris, the Mariinski Theater from Saint Petersburg, the Bolshói from Moscow, the Martha Graham company, the Teatro alla Scala de Milán, the New York City Ballet and the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, making this the summer's top ballet event in Europe. Be sure to go over to Piazza del Viminale and walk into Ristorante Strega, famous as a meeting place for dancers and singers, as well as for the quality of their homemade pizzas, their rice dishes and their famous tiramisu whose recipe remains a well-kept secret.

If we leave traditional instruments to one side and embrace electronica and the hedonism of the dance floor instead, then Berlin continues to be the capital of the world. Mandatory stops here are the clubs Berghain - the grand temple of techno, where Marcel Dettman is a regular DJ, and where just about everything is allowed if the bouncers let you inside - the Watergate with its views of the river, and the Visionaire, something of an outdoor beach bar. The hipsters who populate these three venues are easily found later at the Kreuzberg Markthalle IX, a traditional market that turns into the perfect place for dinner on Thursdays.

But for serious music celebrations, nothing beats Sziget, the Hungarian beast of a festival that draws around 400,000 people each year and which is already into its 21st edition. As its name indicates, it is held on an island in Budapest, and the musical styles are diverse enough to encompass the resurgent Blur, Nick Cave or Nina Kraviz.

All of these roads crisscross on the map and on the calendar. They share that marvelous liturgy that always surrounds music. If you can, combine a rave with a good opera. It will do you no harm.

With reporting by J. Á. Vela del Campo, Roger Salas and Yahvé M. de la Cavada.