Who does not know the Viennese classics? But do we know Viennese Baroque? Do we know the prelude to how Vienna became the capital of musical life, attracting Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven?
Listening to this concert, we can gain a comprehensive picture of Baroque Vienna’s opera scene, orchestral culture, and sacred music. The acclaimed interpreters of the era, György Vashegyi and his ensembles, have undertaken to present a full evening program of works by masters active in Vienna in the first half of the 18th century, performed in the impressive setting of the Basilica of Eger.
And who will we hear? Johann Joseph Fux was a composer of the Viennese imperial court. His legacy is noteworthy in that contemporary and later German classical composers regarded Fux—not Bach—as the foremost master of counterpoint. His Gradus ad Parnassum (The Steps to Parnassus), a famous treatise on composition, remained a fundamental textbook for aspiring composers even in the age of the Viennese classics. Vienna was already the meeting point of Italian and German music at this time. Alongside Fux, two renowned Italian masters were active in the city: Francesco Bartolomeo Conti, an influential figure primarily in opera, and Antonio Caldara, a great master of sacred music. Their success contributed to Vivaldi’s decision to move, when opportunities dwindled in Venice, not to another Italian city but to Vienna, where Italian music was held in great esteem.
Vienna also attracted musicians eager to learn from abroad. The Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka, though his career flourished in Dresden, spent many years in Vienna as a pupil of Fux.
The program of this concert includes several works by each of these composers, offering a chance to discover their many facets. Join us on a journey to Baroque Vienna!
PERFORMERS
Orfeo Orchestra and Purcell Choir
Ágnes Kovács – soprano
Katalin Szutrély – soprano
Eszter Balogh – alto
Zoltán Megyesi – tenor
Zoltán Melkovics – bass
Conductor: György Vashegyi
PROGRAM
Fux: Le nozze d’Aurora – Sinfonia
Fux: Le nozze d’Aurora – Te Deum
Conti: Naaman – Introduzione
Zelenka: Simphonie à 8 concertanti
Fux: Pulcheria – Intrada
Caldara: Te Deum
Caldara: Crucifixus
Zelenka: Te Deum
Tickets:
- Online: filharmonia.hu