Festive opening of the BachZeit

Now in its 14th edition, BachZeit at the Mondsee Basilica remains a fixture for all lovers of Baroque music. In the impressive atmosphere of the basilica, the festival opens on Sunday, August 9, 2025, with two festive works that are all about Mary - solemn, sonorous and of great musical depth.

The program includes the magnificent Magnificat by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, which was composed in Berlin in 1749. This large-scale work is one of his most important vocal works and impresses with its dramatic design, virtuoso arias and a concluding double fugue of extraordinary power. The music is solemn, full of affect - and yet imbued with the sensitive handwriting of C. P.E.Bach.

The opening concert is complemented by Johann Sebastian Bach's subtle cantata "Meine Seel erhebt den Herren" (BWV 10), composed for the Feast of the Visitation. With its cheerful opening, lyrical solos and artful choral writing, this cantata is one of Bach's most heartfelt Marian settings - musical gratitude and exuberant joy in Baroque perfection.

Tickets for the opening concert on August 10 are available in advance:

• at Trafik Schwaighofer
• at the Mondsee monastery store
• or by e-mail to kantorei.mondsee@gmx.at

Ovidiu Simbotin, violin & Eckbert Reuter, viola 11.8.
Franziska Strohmayr, violin: Trio for Goldberg 12.8.
Rahel Sögner, violin & Thimo Niesterok, trumpet 13.8.
Agata Meissner, harpsichord 14.8.
Anne Sophie Keckeis, violoncello 15.8.
Tim Collins, vibraphone 16.8.
Ensemble Cameo 17.8.
Maria Holzer-Graf, violin 18.8.
Gottfried Holzer-Graf, organ 19.8.

All other events - especially the evening meditations - are free of charge. However, donations to support the musicians are very welcome.