Splendour and glory

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber composed his Vesperae à 32 in 1674 for the Archbishop of Salzburg. An eight-part double choir, two cornetts, three trombones, four trumpets, timpani, strings, two organs and basso continuo: with this lavish instrumentation, Biber's Vesperae promises a unique listening experience of Baroque sound splendour. No less impressive is the work by Benedict Anton Aufschnaiter, who composed his twelve-part Missa Sic Placuit  a good half a century after Biber. This composition, which was highly praised in contemporary sources, was considered lost for a long time before Gunar Letzbor discovered the part material in Lambach Abbey and will now conduct the modern premiere of this masterpiece, which was thought to be lost, at the Brucknerhaus!