Sinfonia Christkoenig under Eduard Matscheko in the Friedenkirche in Linz.
The profound religiousness of two composers impressively captivated the audience in the concert of Sinfonia Christkoenig – both movingly and emotionally. Bruckner’s Mass in f-minor was performed, interspersed with Messiaen’s four symphonic meditations for organ, whose motto “L‘Ascension“ (Ascent into Heaven) supported the theme of the mass and contrasted it in respect to its sound. Biographically, Bruckner’s Mass in f-minor ranges from moments of shattering disease to a light-toned state of atonement; musically presented by rhetorical figures of the invocation of God, of gratitude and redemption in eternal life. Life and death in their conditionality formed the conceptual core of the concert – the idea of redemption in joy and confidence appearing to be its consequence.
The Sinfonia Christkoenig brilliantly conducted by Eduard Matscheko and the masterful organist Elke Eckerstorfer made the combination of Bruckner’s powerful intenseness and Messiaen’s jubilant glorification a very special event. One of the many special moments was when Bruckner’s Credo could erupt into cascades of staccato chords of the organ expressing “a soul’s tears of joy“. The Sinfonia showed itself at its best – colourful woodwind players, reliable brass players and a homogenous sound of the string section which could distinguish itself and take full effect. Also very moving – the Benedictus: a tender setting of the strings, in which violins and cellos beautifully commented on each other. The mellow singing of the psalms by the respectable choir led the ascent of the soprano to a hopeful ending. With Julia Grüter (soprano), Valentina Kutzarova (alto), Jan Petryka (tenor), and Klaus Kuttler (bass) Matscheko had engaged wonderful voices: a bright soprano, the sincere alto rich in modulation, the infatuatingly beautiful tenor and the smooth bass.
A very special concert experience that leaves a deep impression in many ways.