Concerts
Our Festival concerts with orchestra take place in some of the most elegant and historic palaces of 18th century imperial Austria. Recent venues have included St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Palais Auersperg, home of the real-life Rosenkavalier of Strauss opera fame, Schloß Halbturn, a one-time hunting lodge for empress Maria Theresa, the 11th century abbey at Stift Altenburg, the 12th century monastery at Stift Klosterneuburg, the Hall of Mirrors in Primaciálny Palác, the Archbishop’s Palace in Bratislava, the Hall of Muses at Albertina Palace/Museum, and others.
For our 2023 Festival Concerts we are honored to present our soloists in two of the most important historical venues of the 18 th century Austrian empire.
Primaciálny Palác - Hall of Mirrors
Archbishop's Palace - Bratislava, Slovakia
The magnificent baroque Primaciálny Palác or Archbishop’s palace in Bratislava was built between 1778 and 1781 during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa, a period when the region was considered part of Hungary. Its most famous chamber, the glittering Hall of Mirrors, was the site for stately public events and signing various treaties, beginning with the Peace of Pressburg (the Austria name for Bratislava) in 1805 which dissolved the Holy Roman Empire.
Palais Lobkowitz in Vienna — Eroica-Hall
Constructed shortly after the conclusion of the devastating Turkish siege in the mid-1680s, the Lobkowitz palace is one of the oldest palaces in the city of Vienna. Following its purchase in 1745 by the noble Lobkowitz family, it underwent extensive renovations under the supervision of the brilliant father and son duo, architects Fischer von Erlach, to whom Empress Maria Theresa entrusted major imperial projects throughout her reign. Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792 and soon attracted the attention of the music-loving Prince, who was to become a major sponsor of 17 year old from Bonn. Beethoven visited the Lobkowitz family on numerous occasions, but It was on an evening in 1804, in their lavishly frescoed Festival Hall, history records that Beethoven conducted the first performance of his new Third Symphony. Both hall and symphony to be known forever after by the title “Eroica.”
Click below to sample a recent performance
Piano Concerto of Mozart K467, mvt 1
