For the opening of the International Baroque Festival at Melk Abbey, the ancient world makes its way into the Abbey Church. With Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, the composer’s brilliant opera and at the same time one of the central works of music history, the festival takes on the love and suffering of a couple who are granted happiness together for only a brief moment. The lovers’ fate finally culminates in one of the most poignant moments ever composed. The Concentus Musicus Wien under its conductor Stefan Gottfried and a cast of outstanding singers make this semi-scenic performance an unforgettable experience. “A stellar hour!” (Niederösterreichische Nachrichten)
Exodus – The Men Who Shaped Hollywood
The violinist Johannes Fleischmann gives deeply insightful interpretations of the music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Erich Zeisl, Viennese composers who escaped the rise of Nazism by journeying to America shortly before World War II. There both composers adapted their talents to the world of Hollywood, becoming defining voices in the golden age of Hollywood movie scores. PROGRAM Korngold: Four Little Cheerful Waltzes: II. Margit, Violin Sonata in G major, “Schneeglöckchen”; Zeisl : Violin Sonata “Brandeis”
Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro della beata vergine
A piece of music as a ticket: his Vespers of Mary brought Claudio Monteverdi an engagement in Venice, where he made musical history as Kapellmeister of St Mark’s Cathedral. A one-way ticket, as it later turned out, but he remained loyal to this city and contributed to making it a magnet for composers and musicians from all over Europe. After his debut at Whitsun 2016, it was clear: Pablo Heras-Casado absolutely has to come back! Finally, the time has come: the star conductor once again took the podium of the Barocktage Residence Orchestra. Together with the Concentus Musicus Wien, a select cast of singers and the Ensemble Aedes he opened the International Baroque Days Stift Melk 2021 with Monteverdi’s gigantic work!