Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, Nikolaus Harnoncourt founded the “Concentus Musicus Wien” in 1953. It has since become one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments or faithful reproductions. With its opulent decor and gilt ornamentation, the Austrian Baroque church of Waldhausen provides a setting evocative of Bach’s times. An added highlight of the program is the retelling of the Nativity story with the magnificent carved figures of two master wood-carvers of the Baroque period from Upper Austria. Also heard on the recording are the distinguished tenor Peter Schreier, bass Robert Holl and the Tölzer Boys’ Choir.
Beethoven, Missa solemnis in D major, op.123
This work is part of the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonic and choral works featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam conducted by Leonard Bernstein. In this recording with the Dutch orchestra, Bernstein also conducts the soloists Edda Moser, Hanna Schwarz, René Kollo and Kurt Moll, along with the Chorus of Radio Hilversum.
Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem, op.45 (live)
The performance of Brahms’ German Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna’s “Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde” and the soloists Gundula Janowitz and José van Dam conducted by Herbert von Karajan was recorded live at the Salzburg Easter Festival in March 1978. Maestro Karajan focused on the gentle, comforting aspect of the work, presenting it as a Requiem for the living.
Mozart, Requiem K. 626
The Requiem is not only Mozart’s last composition, but also the one most shrouded in mystery. The purportedly enigmatic patron who ordered the work and the fatal illness that befell Mozart while he was working on it long nurtured the macabre legend of Mozart composing his own Requiem mass commissioned by Death himself. The Requiem was completed by Mozart’s friend and pupil Franz Saver Süssmayr on the basis of Mozart’s sketches and instructions. The somber woodwinds and brass, the artless melodies and the stirring shifts from intricate contrapuntal writing to mighty homophonic blocks convey an otherworldly, apocalyptic feeling seldom encountered in Mozart’s works. Despite its almost operatic solo passages and large orchestra, the Requiem was intended for the church, and is indeed an ideal work for the theatrically sumptuous and brilliant Baroque churches of Austria and southern Germany. Karl Böhm was universally acclaimed for his Mozart interpretations. Though Wagner was one of Böhm’s first loves, his friendship with Richard Strauss led to a deep knowledge and appreciation of Mozart. In his autobiography, Böhm wrote that “Richard Strauss revealed to me the ultimate secrets of this, in my opinion, greatest of all musical geniuses, Mozart.” Böhm’s discovery of these secrets transformed his Mozart interpretations into unforgettable events. Filmed in Vienna’s resplendent “Piaristenkirche”, this recording of Mozart’s Requiem features the illustrious Mozart singers Gundula Janowitz, Christa Ludwig, Peter Schreier and Walter Berry.
Bach, Matthäuspassion (St. Matthew’s Passion) BWV 244
Karl Richter, the world-renowned Bach specialist who died in 1981, recorded the St. Matthew Passion at the splendid Benedictine abbey of Ottobeuren with two choruses, his Munich Bach Orchestra and the outstanding soloists Peter Schreier (Evangelist), Ernst Gerold Schramm (Jesus), Siegmund Nismgern (Judas) as well as Helen Donath, Julia Hamari, Walter Berry and Horst Laubenthal. Director Hugo Käch took the cross as his main motif for his stage setting by using a gigantic cross above the performers to suggest menace and oppression as well as protection. Richter’s style blends the solid craftsmanship of a Leipzig “cantor” and a profound need for the freedom of improvisation. “I cannot gauge the tempo from the metronome; I have to take to it from my pulse, since the pulse is linked to the center of man, the heart.” (Karl Richter)
Bach, h-Moll Messe (Mass in B minor) BWV 232
Karl Richter (1926-1981), founder of the Munich Bach Choir and Munich Bach Orchestra, was a noted conductor, organist and harpsichordist. The B minor Mass was one of his “warhorses”, which he often performed on concert tours. One of the most perceptive assessments of Richter’s reading of the B minor Mass appeared in a Munich daily following his last performance of the work in November 1980: “One of the reasons why Richter’s account of the B minor Mass is so compelling is that, in contrast to the historicizing Bach readings of today, it takes into account both the present and the 250-year-old history of Bach interpretation.” The work was filmed in the splendid Baroque abbey church of Diessen in Bavaria, which dates from Bach’s time.
Bach, Johannespassion (St. John’s Passion), BWV 245
Over the course of his long career as conductor, organist and harpsichordist, Karl Richter (1926-1981) became synonymous with Bach. He founded the Munich Bach Choir and the Munich Bach Orchestra, and helped trigger the Bach revival in the 1950s. He recorded all the major choral and orchestral works of Bach, including more than 100 cantatas. Although Richter saw several dramatic shifts in Baroque performance practice during his lifetime, he remained true to his own style, which was considered revolutionary in the 1950s and 60s. This was a “de-romanticized” Bach which featured a reduced body of performers more in keeping with the composer’s original forces. Richter’s style also accented a cool, brisk, almost abstract attitude toward the music. Our recording with the Munich Bach Choir and Orchestra features such world-renowned soloists as Helen Donath, Julia Hamari, Peter Schreier and Horst Laubenthal.
Schubert, Mass in E flat major No.6, D. 950
Little is known about the origin of the Mass No. 6 other than that Schubert wrote it in 1828, just a few months before his death. He does not seem to have had a specific performance in mind, and the work was only premiered in November 1829, a year after his death. Critics have since given the Mass an honored place among the composer’s great works, many ranking it as his finest church composition. Although Schubert calls for five soloists (soprano, alto, two tenors and bass), the Mass is essentially a choral Mass. The composer calls for a large orchestra, including three trombones, but he omits the flutes and keeps the violins in their lower register, thereby giving the piece a dark, shaded tone. Schubert’s E flat major Mass was recorded at the Court Music Chapel (“Hofmusikkapelle”) in Vienna in June 1976. The eminent conductor Karl Böhm leads the Vienna Philharmonic and the male choir of the Hofmusikkapelle. The upper registers are provided by the world-renowned Vienna Boys’ Choir. The distinguished soloists are Walter Berry, Peter Schreier and Hans Krenn. Schubert’s E flat major Mass was recorded at the Court Music Chapel (“Hofmusikkapelle”) in Vienna in June 1976. The eminent conductor Karl Böhm leads the Vienna Philharmonic and the male choir of the Hofmusikkapelle. The upper registers are provided by the world-renowned Vienna Boys’ Choir. The distinguished soloists are Walter Berry, Peter Schreier and Hans Krenn.
Grafenegg: Midsummer Night’s Gala 2025
The Midsummer Night’s Gala heralds the start of the summer festival season every year, captivating the audience and celebrating the summer against the idyllic backdrop of the extensive castle grounds. On the Wolkenturm stage, chief conductor Fabien Gabel joins star pianist and festival director Rudolf Buchbinder for their first collaboration at Grafenegg. Buchbinder, intimately familiar with the venue, performs a movement from Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor. South African mezzo-soprano Siphokazi Molteno makes her festival debut, alongside American tenor Michael Spyres, recently named Best International Opera Singer at the Oper! Awards. The programme offers a vibrant mix of opera arias, overtures, and orchestral works, featuring Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, Puccini’s Turandot, and a spotlight on French and Spanish music.
Vienna Prater Picnic Concert 2025
The Wiener Symphoniker once again welcomed the summer with their yearly open-air concert in the heart of Vienna. For the fourth time, the Kaiserwiese – set against the iconic Giant Ferris Wheel – becomes the backdrop of a shared musical experience connecting generations, styles and stories. With a cross-genre programme combining operetta, musical, jazz and pop, the orchestra traces a lively Viennese tradition that has been bringing people together since the 19th century. Bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff brought Frank Sinatra’s repertoire to life with his unmistakable voice, joined by soprano Alina Wunderlin, who moved effortlessly between classical music, operetta and jazz. Double bassist and composer Georg Breinschmid and his trio offered a jazz-inflected tribute to Johann Strauss, while singer-songwriter Lemo added a contemporary touch.