Opening Concert – AEIOU (Love for the Chosen, I Am the Avenger of the Unjust)

Emperor Joseph I, the "handsome" Habsburg, was not only reform-minded and politically – and also militarily – highly active (his motto was "Amore et timore"), but he also inherited a great musical talent from his composing ancestors Ferdinand III and Leopold I. As a busy ruler, he has only a small list of compositions to his name – including the central vocal composition of the opening concert, the "Regina Coeli," but these works are of high quality and stylistically quite forward-looking. Just like Ziani's "Alma Redemptoris Mater," the "Regina Coeli" is actually the concluding piece of a Vespers as a Marian antiphon.

Music of the Baroque period is also spatial sound art; sacred music was always composed for performances in specifically designated locations. The Cathedral of St. Pölten is an ideal setting for this program, and the selected instrumental music is intended for church spaces.

The ensemble PALLIDOR, under the direction of Franz Farnberger, will jointly open the anniversary program 2026 with the artistic director and countertenor Alois Mühlbacher, presenting an unusual sacred program of the imperial court chapel at the Cathedral of St. Pölten.