BRILLIANT START OF CHRISTKOENIG CONCERT SEASON (Georgina Szeless, Neues Volksblatt 23.5.2017)

The Sinfonia Christkoenig Orchestra started its sixth season under the patronage of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with a mixed programme of contemporary, romantic and classical music. Eduard Matscheko again conducted his orchestra with great mastership. In this way a  a rather ambitious premiere performance was successfully presented , namely a cantata for high soprano and chamber orchestra by Till Alexander Körber, which – based on lyrics by Gertrud von le Fort –  deals with today‘s refugee issue in analogy to the sufferings during the persecution of Christians.  The title of this work „ Blossom, trampled-on life“ signifies the religious character, the collage-like torn melodics, visonary tapestries of sound, a „lectio“ from the Gospel according to Matthew and a choral overlaid by descant and lower voice as hardly noticeable hymn to Mary. In a concilatory final hymn Körber leads the soprano voice really high up.  Martha Matscheko with her youthful subtle soprano voice was ideal for this part.  Robert Nagy, solocellist of  the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was welcomed and celebrated as guest . He played the cello concerto in a-Minor by Camille Saint-Saëns as if he had chosen this work as his showpiece. As encore he added the romantic-like „Elegy“ by Helmut Rogl to the rapturous applause. And this loud applause seemed never to end after the performance of Mozart’s Symphony KV 550 in g-Minor, which conductor Matscheko presented as perfectly structured and with passionate technique and so made the music burgeon perfectly.