Anonymus ex Vienna
NDR Das Alte Werk: Ars Antiqua Austria
The prize-winning ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria was founded by period instrument specialist Gunar Letzbor in 1989. It is specialised in the multi-cultural sound worlds of Austrian baroque music, unifying the influences of the many crown-lands: elements of Slav and Hungarian folk music mingle with Alpine sounds and the art music of the period. The musicians have always created quite a stir with their surprising discoveries in the past.
Vienna was a »melting pot« in the eighteenth century. This is demonstrated, impressively, by Austrian music from that time. It is a refined mélange of the best ingredients in European composition styles: the joie de vivre of the South, Slav melancholy, French formality, Spanish pomp and the Alpine character of the German-speaking regions.
The ensemble’s most recent discovery is manuscript XIV 726, from the library of the Minorite Convent in Vienna. Not only does it contain spectacular sonatas by Heinrich Ignaz, Franz Biber and Johann Jacob Walther, but also masterworks by many unknown composers. This anonymity of the authors might make the marketing of these pieces difficult, but in the end: what’s in a name?
Gunar Letzbor is certainly not scared by the no-name status of some of these composers. Instead, he has called this concert »Anonymus ex Vienna«. He allows us to gasp at the astounding brilliance of these sonatas and toccatas. They create a sonic feast. Or, as Letzbor dryly puts it himself: »It is beautiful and effective violin music.«
Performers
Ars Antiqua Austria
Gunar Letzbor violin and director
Programme
Anonymus ex Vienna
Kostbarkeiten eines Musikmanuskripts aus der Zeit Heinrich Ignaz Bibers (Minoritenarchiv Wien)
Toccata 94 a-Moll
Sonata 87
Sonata 74 F-Dur
Sonata 68 a-Moll
Sonata 4 D-Dur
Sonata 77 A-Dur
Sonata 73 a-Moll
Sonata 68 B-Dur
Estimated end time
22:00