Wednesday
02
April
2025

Girl Power on Tour

The Vienna Girls Choir embarks on its first international Tour
The Wiener Chormädchen are on tour in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Italy. Under their conductor, Stefan Foidl, the girls will sing 21 concerts in the five countries. Tour stops include Dresden, Berlin, Stuttgart, Basel, and Ljubljana. The next concert will take place on 2 April in Altenmarkt; on 9 April the girls will give a special concert at the MuTh in Vienna.

The programme includes classical and modern pieces that reflect the choir's diverse repertoire - from Mozart to Glenn Miller, from Mendelssohn and Brahms to Jimmy McHugh. Two female composers, Fanny Hensel and Nancy Telfer, are also represented.

"This tour marks another milestone for us: The girls have been rehearsing with great dedication and joy, and we are excited to see how our music will be received in the various cities,’ says Boys Choir President Erich Arthold.

Information & ticket links
Saturday
17
May
2025

Salieri 200 - Riccardo Muti conducts the Chapel Imperial at Vienna's Musikverein

Antonio Salieri was a highly respected composer during his lifetime, and from 1788 to 1825 he was one of the most influential musicians of his time as head of the Vienna Chapel Imperial (Wiener Hofmusikkapelle). Beethoven, Liszt, and Goethe were among his admirers.

Salieri came to Vienna as a teenager with court composer Florian Leopold Gassmann; through his mentor, Salieri met the Emperor, among others. Joseph II was fond of the teenager; Salieri joined the emperor for private music sessions and recitals two or three times a week. Antonio was also involved in the city's opera productions; as a 19-year-old, he directed the rehearsals of the Italian opera in Vienna. His first own stage work premiered in 1770, when Salieri was not yet 20. The composer wrote a total of 40(!) operas, Italian, German, comic, tragic and highly dramatic works. His music is anything but staid. Among the thighlights of Salieri's operatic output are ‘Europa riconosciuta’, written for the opening of La Scala in Milan in August 1774, and ‘Tarare’, a "revolutionary" opera with a libretto by Beaumarchais about the dethronement of a tyrant, premiered in Paris two years before the French Revolution.

Salieri became court conductor in 1788. In addition to his administrative duties, Salieri wrote masses and other sacred works for the court choir and orchestra. The Mass No. 1 in D major (‘Hofkapellmeistermesse’) is still performed in the Hofburgkapelle - under Riccardo Muti it becomes a musical highlight.