Gioachino Rossini’s “Petite Messe solennelle” was one of his last works and was composed long after his most intense creative period. He completed it next to a large variety of pieces – which he himself ironically called “sins of old age” – “… the unfortunately last sin of old age” (Rossini wrote on the inlay of his composition).
The State Youth Choir of the German district Rheinland-Pfalz invited David Holzinger to conduct this spiritual late work of his in two concerts on the 9th and 10th of October at the Fruchthalle Kaiserslautern and the church in Nassau, Germany.
The voice soloists are among the most distinguished in their field and belong to the ensembles and are guests at the Oper Frankfurt, Theater Freiburg, der Staatsoper Hamburg und der Oper Stuttgart.
The young pianist Aurelia Shimkus – “Talent of the year” and among many other distinctions, prize winner of the “Kissinger Klavierolymp” and scholarship holder of the “Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund” – is sharing the piano part with the pianist, composer and conductor Julian Mörth. On the Harmonium is Petra Morath-Pusinelli – soloist, organist and collaborative pianist of prestigious choirs and orchestras like the Bachchor Mainz and the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, as well as lecturer for collaborative piano at the Johannes-Gutenberg-University in Mainz.
Gioachino Rossini – “Petite Messe solennelle”
Soprano – Katharina Ruckgaber
Mezzo Soprano – Sophie Wenzel
Tenor – Bernhard Berchtold
Bass – Johannes Kammler
Piano – Aurelia Shimkus, Julian Moerth
Harmonium – Petra Morath-Pusinelli
Landesjugendchor Rheinland-Pfalz
Dirigent – David Holzinger
He is guest conductor and professor of conducting courses all over the world, including Paris, London, Amsterdam, Moscow, New York, Tanglewood, Aspen, Ottawa and Sydney. Jorma Panula has been a teacher and mentor to a strong and successful generation of Finnish conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mikko Franck, Sakari Oramo, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä and Klaus Mäkelä.
Together with eight participants, David Holzinger was chosen among the highest number of applicants in the history of the Budapest Masterclass, to rehearse and work on a demanding program together with the MÁV-Orchestra Budapest.
The final concert took place on August 28th at the Grand Celebration Hall of the National Museum Budapest.
Program
W. A. Mozart – Ouverture “Don Giovanni”
J. Sibelius – Symphony No. 5
F. Liszt – Prometheus
P. I. Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 5
After a one year Covid related pause, the “Beethoven plus Festival 2021” made a triumphant return to its audience this summer. Following internationally acclaimed soloists Ariane Haering, Benjamin Schmid and Matthias Bartolomey performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto the week prior, a rare gem of the Viennese classical period sparked on the 10th of August.
Fraternity, Equality, Liberty
Eroica – Bonaparte – Prometheus
Egmont – Suppression – Grand Inquisition
Ludwig van Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony “Eroica” and the incidental music to Goethe’s drama, “Egmont” payed homage to the ideals of the French Revolution. Beethoven championed not Bonaparte, but the suppressed and democracy. The finale of the “Eroica” represents the highest virtues of humanity, the godly fire of the arts, liberty and the sciences, the patron Prometheus, who was tortured for giving his love to humanity.
The incidental music to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s drama, translated to the poignant declamation by Franz Grillparzer, orated by Austria’s acclaimed actor and Salzburg Festival “Jedermann” (“Everyman”) star Cornelius Obonya, unravelled in the heart of Austria – Bad Aussee. For the second half of the program, the festival founder and mastermind Karolos Trikolidis conducted Beethoven’s “Eroica”.
Incidental Music to Goethes drama “Egmont”, Op. 84
Orator – Cornelius Obonya
Soprano – Sophia Kyanidou
Europe United Festival Orchestra
Conductor – David Holzinger
The fortress “Baba Vida”, on the shores of the Danube was once the main rampart of Vidin, a city in the high north-west of Bulgaria.
On the 9th of July 2021, surrounded by the cooling stones of the castle wall and under a cloudless summer evening sky, a music gala took place. Conducted by David Holzinger, the Sinfonietta Vidin performed a unique concert, starring the finest selection of pieces by composers like Giuseppe Verdi, Umberto Giordano, Giacomo Puccini, Francesco Cilea, Georges Bizet and Pietro Mascagni, performed by bulgarian Soloists who interrupted their international concert activity in order to find themselves on their native soil, performing together at this peerless event.
Soloists
Soprano – Gabriela Georgieva
Mezzo Soprano – Ivanka Ninova
Baritone – Kiril Manolov
Tenor – Valeri Georgiev
Tenor – Mihail Mihaylov
Tenor – Boris Taskov
The turbulent times of the worldwide pandemic kept quite something unexpected up their sleeve. They brought an unhoped-for debut with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. Due to the suddenly prevented Maestro Sascha Götzel – regular guest conductor of Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra – David Holzinger stepped in for the concert performance. Together with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra as guest soloists, they celebrated their successful performance.
The concert took place on the 16th of May 2021 at the prestigious “Bulgaria Hall” in Sofia.
W.A. Mozart – Ouverture to “The Magic Flute”, “Voi che sapete”, “Parto, ma tu ben mio”
W.A. Mozart – Concerto for Flute and Orchestra No. 1 in G-Major, KV 313
I. Eröd – Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 30
A. Zemlinsky – 6 Songs after poems by Maeterlinck, Op. 13
Soloists
Mezzo Soprano – Svetlina Stoyanova
Flute – Karin Bonelli
Viola – Robert Bauerstatter