Anonymus ex Vienna

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.«