To put this into practice, Alfred Gellner, head of the Department of Culture, won over 28-year-old singer Alois Mühlbacher. The native of Upper Austria is internationally known and in demand as a countertenor. Mühlbacher enjoyed his training in the prestigious and traditional St. Florian Boys Choir and later studied in Vienna and London. He made his debut at the Vienna State Opera at the age of 15 and later enjoyed great success on the stages of international concert halls. These include the Salzburg Festival Hall, the Scala in Milan and the Festival de Sintra in Portugal.
In St. Bolton, Alois Mühlbacher is now organizing a festival for the first time. For this year's Baroque Festival, he has chosen the title “The Raging of the World” based on the novel by author Morten de Hart to give people a mirror of the spirit of the times.
In addition to the new artistic movement, the festival also features new venues and program highlights. Venues for the festival will once again include the cathedral, the Franciscan Church and the State Parliament Building, but will also include new venues such as a summer restaurant and a conservatory for church music.
Mayor Matthias Stadler says: “The Baroque Festival is more than just an event. It's a celebration of wonderful music and art from a wonderful era that touches hearts and bathes St Paul's in a bright cultural glow. As a proud baroque city, it is an honor for us to host this important event, which attracts visitors beyond the boundaries of the state capital and celebrates our rich cultural heritage. This name not only welcomes our esteemed guests but also our new Artistic Director, who will take the festival to new heights with his dedication and vision. Personally, I am already looking forward to embarking on this inspiring journey into the past and celebrating the beauty and vitality of the Baroque in the here and now.
The opening is a treat for the eyes and ears
To create new subjects, Mühlbacher was able to hire the Austrian media artist Peter Kögler, who had already designed the lobby of the Graz main train station, the facade of the Center for Molecular Medicine in Vienna, and an installation in the Vienna-Karlsplatz tunnel. Station. Together with artist Beatrix Chunkowski, she will present a limited edition of the subject as a fine art giglee in the foyer of the summer restaurant on May 25, the first evening of the festival. A commissioned work titled “Contrapunct” by composer Matthias Tryvko will be heard as a sound installation combining contemporary thought with baroque elements.
The opening concert of the festival on May 31 will be performed by the “Company of Music” and the baroque orchestra “Monismo” with Bach's “Magnificate” and the cantata “Ein' Feste Burg ist Anser God” in St. Paulton Cathedral. The closing event will also include Bach's “Art of the Fugue” with the “Pach Consort” in an arrangement for string quartet and harpsichord aboard the State Parliament on June 9, and the Spanish dancer Alba Natal will perform one. Created by Kevin O'Day especially for St Bolton.
A colorful show in June
The wide-ranging influences of both the spiritual and operatic works of the Italian grand master Antonio Vivaldi will be showcased in the festival's second concert on June 1st, which Alois Mühlbacher will co-create with the ensemble “Palidor”.
The first weekend of the festival will end on June 2 at the Franciscan Church with Ars Antiqua Austria and Gunar Letzbor, who will immerse you in mystical worlds with Biber's “Rosary Sonatas”. The mystic also includes the speeches of Angelus Silesius, who performed the fort. Actor Michael Mertens' house.
Margit Lechler, one of the world's leading baroque dance experts, will be guest on June 6 with her troupe “Les Pleisirs de la Danse” for an evening entitled “War and Peace”. They will be accompanied by music from the St. Bolton-based “Barukko” group. An afternoon symposium and baroque dance workshop will be held this evening at the new venue, the Church Music Conservatory.
As a link between the Baroque period and the present, an event titled “The Raging World” is planned for June 8. Austrian actress Verena Altenberger dedicates texts to the festival's guidelines, as does guitarist Helmut Jasper. The evening's performance will include a musical adaptation with renowned lutenist Hubert Hoffman, followed by a DJ set. The evening will end in comfort with the Baroque Lounge designed by Andy Franzl and innovative duo Tronicello.
Star camper Maddalena del Gobbo takes us into the world of Prince Eszterhazy on baritone, a rarely heard instrument, at the final concert of the festival on June 9th. Two Vienna Philharmonic musicians accompany him.
Tickets and more information are available now www.barockfestival.at.
