Musica Viva

In the organizer's words:

8:15 pm

Mountain Church Osnabrück

Osnabrück Baroque - The Osnabrück composer Paul Ignaz Lichtenauer

Cologne Academy
Michael Alexander Willens (conductor)

The baroque rediscovery - works by Paul Ignaz Lichtenauer

The music of the baroque composer and Osnabrück cathedral chapel master Paul Ignaz Lichtenauer, whose works were long forgotten, is experiencing an exciting rediscovery in this concert.

The Cologne Academy under the direction of Michael Willens is performing works by Lichtenauer for the first time since the sensational discovery, and not far from the place where he carried out his important musical activities: just one kilometer as the crow flies from Osnabrück Cathedral, where Lichtenauer took up the post of organist and later Kapellmeister in 1715.

Lichtenauer, born into a family of musicians - his father was an organ builder and organist in Vienna - led his musical career via Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein to Osnabrück. There he quickly gained recognition for his liturgical music and was soon celebrated as a "Capellmeister".

His music is characterized by a formal simplicity that is nevertheless full of charm and surprising twists and turns. Often playful and virtuosic, it is immediately catchy and appeals to the audience. The works to be heard in this concert are a worthwhile rediscovery and offer a fascinating insight into the musical life of the 18th century.