Grafenegg often proved that the maintenance of established traditions and new impulses complement each other: A new fanfare of Composers in Residence Matthias Pintscher forms the festive opening of the Grafenegg Festival 2015.

The opening concert evokes the primal force of music: Prokofiev’s «Scythian Suite» uses bold colours to narrate a tale from pagan times in which two people become the plaything of the gods but emerge triumphant. Fate’s inescapable power is also felt in «Carmina Burana» by Carl Orff. The Tonkünstler Orchestra under Andrés Orozco-Estrada perform the rustic, lyrical and monumental scenes with top-class soloists, the Vienna Singverein and the Wiener Sängerknaben.

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For health reasons Toby Spence cannot attend tonight's concert. We thank Dmitry Egorov for stepping in instead.