A sold-out concert in the parish church of Linz-Christkönig on the day of the Linz-Marathon was amazing. It is evident that the visitors are sure not to be disappointed because they can expect a member of the Vienna Philharmonic to be available as soloist, which is a specialty of this concert series – a very gratifying patronage! This time solo flautist Karl-Heinz Schütz came to Linz, a well-established successor of the unforgettable Wolfgang Schulz (who died in 2013), who also took over Schulz‘ place in the Ensemble Wien-Berlin. Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in G offers abundant opportunity to excel in virtuosity and many-faceted expressiveness, which Schütz wonderfully managed to unfold on his golden wonder flute. Small wonder, that the enthusiastic applause triggered a notable encore: a solo by Jacques Ibert (1890–1962), composed in 1936, at the time when the foundation stone of the parish church of Christkönig was laid. With the “Magic Flute“ overture at the beginning conductor Matscheko put the orchestra, especially the winds, into the limelight and wound up to a completely satisfying presentation of Schubert’s “Great Symphony in C“.
Matscheko and his well-prepared musicians mastered the often quoted “heavenly lengths” of this work in romantically savoured, abundantly pulsating/ vibrating sounds, but also in refined nuances and poetic content. It is obvious that the dance-like scherzo has its roots in Viennese folk music.