Kreuzchor in Salzburg

Today I have been at a concert of the Salzburg Easter Festival. Unfortunately they had to cancel a part of the concert (the overture of “Der Freischütz” of Weber) because the conductor Christian Thielemann was ill. The other two pieces were the “Missa sancta no. 1” of Weber and the “Missa h-Minor” of Bach in its original version, i.e. Only the Kyrie and the Gloria. Both pieces sung by the Dresdner Kreuzchor and solists.

It was very interesting to hear the same text with very different music that is 100 years apart. Someone complaint to me that Mr. Kreile conducted everything too slow, but I liked it, especially the Bach piece. There was a lot of cheering for the choir (not very surprisingly in Austria).

What I found really appropriate in respect to what has happened in Brussels was the encore: “Dona nobis pacem” (give us peace) also from Bach’s Missa h-minor.