Recital
To the distant lover
Alois Mühlbacher, countertenor
Franz Farnberger, piano
29 June 2021, 17.00 and 19.00
Bratislava, Austrian Cultural Forum, Hodžovo nám. 1/A
afterwards on the YouTube channel of the Austrian Cultural Forum (unlimited time)
Alois Mühlbacher, born in Upper Austria in 1995, already caused a sensation as soloist of the St. Florian Boys’ Choir with spectacular CD recordings such as arias from the Queen of the Night and Zerbinetta as well as songs by Gustav Mahler, and celebrated great success on the podiums of international concert halls. For example, he sang the soprano solo in Mahler’s 4th Symphony at the Salzburg Festspielhaus and the role of Yniold in “Pelleas et Melisande” in Tokyo. Franz Welser-Möst – “I have never heard such a boy’s voice in my life” – and Joan Holender engaged the fifteen-year-old as the Young Shepherd in “Tannhäuser” at the Vienna State Opera. Later, he also sang Oberto in “Alcina” under the direction of Marc Minkowski. In the “Magic Flute” recording under René Jacobs he is the 1st boy. Alois Mühlbacher lives in Vienna.
Franz Farnberger studied at the University and at the Academy of Music in Vienna (music education, piano-vocal accompaniment). He was Kapellmeister of the Vienna Boys’ Choir for 7 years. In this capacity he conducted more than 800 concerts all over the world. From 1983 to 2018 he was musical director of the St. Florian Boys’ Choir. Since handing over the reins of the choir to his former choirboy soloist Markus Stumpner in the fall of 2018, Farnberger continues to oversee special projects (CD recordings, rehearsal of soloists, early music – especially in close collaboration with Gunar Letzbor and his ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria) and, as overall artistic director, is primarily responsible for artistic and music educational planning. Franz Farnberger is also active as a pianist (in recent years mainly as a song accompanist for Alois Mühlbacher) and taught at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz until July 2017.
