Seggauer Castle Matinees - Alois Mühlbacher & Ars Antiqua Austria

Works by Biber, Bononcini, Caldara, and others. Alois Mühlbacher and the Ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria, under the direction of Gunar Letzbor, share a long-standing, intensive collaboration – at concerts such as the Festival for Early Music in Utrecht or the "Resonanzen" at the Vienna Concert Hall, as well as on numerous CD recordings. After Leibnitz, they bring a program that has consistently garnered the highest praise from audiences and international critics alike. Central to the program are works by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, whose compositional output is considered particularly demanding and is still regarded as a milestone in Baroque violin literature. "This is great cinema. Biber at his best in a magnificent interpretation: highly virtuosic and brilliant, yet also soulful and with room to breathe. Gunar Letzbor and Ars Antiqua Austria deliver overwhelming effects and varied emotions in the smallest of spaces." (Dirk Kruse, BR Klassik) Works by Giovanni Bononcini are also part of the program – impressively interpreted by Alois Mühlbacher, whose vocal presence and emotional depth are regularly highlighted: "Bononcini's sense of emotion can only be described as phenomenal – and this equally applies to the performers of this recording, as the highly sought-after countertenor Alois Mühlbacher takes on the task together with the 'Ars Antiqua Austria', this outstanding 'ensemble for new Baroque music' founded in Linz in 1989. It is certainly sensitive how Alois Mühlbacher lends a charismatic presence to the love arias and dramatic recitatives in the present day." (Stephan Pieper, Review) Alois Mühlbacher is "one of the most sought-after countertenors" (Süddeutsche Zeitung). At just 15 years old, Alois Mühlbacher made his debut at the Vienna State Opera – a career launch celebrated by both audiences and the press. Since then, the singer from Upper Austria has performed on the most significant stages in Europe, North and South America, as well as Asia. With his distinctive voice, stylistic range, and charismatic stage presence, he excels in both opera productions and concert performances. Highlights of recent years include a major concert tour with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre, with stops in Paris, Bordeaux, Hamburg, Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, as well as his acclaimed debut at the Gasteig in Munich. His collaboration with Martín Haselböck and the Vienna Academy regularly takes him to international stages – including performances of Bach cantatas at the Musikverein in Vienna, in Munich, Los Angeles, and Mexico. Ars Antiqua Austria & Gunar Letzbor Since 2002, Ars Antiqua Austria, under the direction of Gunar Letzbor, has been organizing its own concert series at the Vienna Concert Hall, and since 2008 additionally at the Brucknerhaus Linz. The ensemble is internationally recognized as one of the leading formations in the field of early music and performs worldwide. Numerous CD productions have been awarded prestigious prizes – including the Diapason d’Or and the Cannes Classical Award. Location: Vault Cellar.