14th December

Concert will begin at 18:30 hours GMT

Pfitzner's 'Palestrina' with Spyres, Groissböck, Nagy, Laurenz and Bankl from Vienna

Hans Pfitzner's 'Palestrina' is an opera referred as a Musikalische Legende (musical legend), with a libretto by the composer, based on a legend about the Renaissance musician Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, who saves the art of contrapuntal music (polyphony) for the Church in the sixteenth century through his composition of the Missa Papae Marcelli. 

Performers: Michael Spyres: Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina. Günther Groissböck: Pope Pius IV. Michael Nagy: Giovanni Morone. Michael Laurenz: Bernardo Novagerio. Wolfgang Bankl: Cardinal Madruscht. Wolfgang Koch: Carlo Borromeo. Hiroshi Amako: Abdisu. Adrian Eröd: Count Luna. Norbert Ernst: B¡shop of Budoja. Kathrin Zukowski: Ighino. Patricia Nolz: Silla.

Wiener Staatsoper Choir and Orchestra. Conductor: Christian Thielemann.

Recorded 8 & 12 December.