The end of a long journey – to the Vienna Musikverein

For some orchestras concert tours are part of their normal work schedule. However, for an opera orchestra an international tour with symphonic programs is always something unusual. The Bavarian State Orchestra is considered to be one of the most significant orchestras with the richest of traditions in the international opera world; playing as we do, in one of the most highly regarded opera houses in the world.

What on an international scale is less known, is that in addition to our work in the orchestra pit, we have a long and outstanding tradition as a symphony orchestra, performing with the "Society of the Musical Academy" (founded in 1811) in a similar way to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, under our own roof in our own series of concerts; the "Academy concerts" at the Bavarian State Opera.

The European tour 2004 was organised by the Bavarian State Orchestra itself; performing the last two concerts in the Golden hall of the Vienna Musikverein. The musicians had to sacrifice two weeks of their annual holiday from the beginning to the middle of September to play in ten different cities thirteen concerts with varying programs.

There is most probably no place more noble or rich in history for the closing night of a European tour such as this as the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein. Its acoustics are legendary, the history of the building is a veritable representation of European music history – think only of the scandal that there was when Mahler himself conducted performances of his own symphonies!

It was with all this in mind that we decided to record the concert in Vienna, thus enabling this period of intense music making to be secured for future reference.

Felix Gargerle
Member of the Bavarian State Orchestra, Producer