27.09.2025

DAVID STEFFENS in Franz Schmidt's "The Book with Seven Seals" in Vienna

We know it from early Christian mosaics, medieval illuminations, Romanesque portals, Dürer's woodcuts or the film »The Seventh Seal« by Ingmar Bergmann: the Apocalypse according to John. A musical examination of the biblical book is one of the great exceptions: Franz Schmidt, who was born in the same year as Arnold Schönberg in Bratislava and later worked in Vienna, dedicated a monumental composition to it with his late Romantic »Book with Seven Seals«. He himself fell seriously ill and wrote it in complete seclusion between 1935 and 1937. The orchestra of the world premiere, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, will perform it on two consecutive days. Fabio Luisi, the orchestra's former chief conductor, conducts the Wiener Singakademie and the Wiener Singverein.

David Steffens, who has already worked with Fabio Luisi on several occasions, including with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, will be heard as the ‘voice of the Lord’ for the first time. The German bass, who is in high demand internationally for German Wagner and Strauss repertoire, will perform the same solo part also at the closing concert of this year's Bratislava Music Festival on 5 October.

Cast

Maximilian Schmitt, Tenor (Johannes)
David Steffens, Bass (Voice of the Lord)
Giulia Semenzato, Soprano
Catriona Morison, Mezzo-soprano
Patrick Grahl, Tenor
Alexander Grassauer, Bass-baritone

Fabio Luisi, Conductor
Wiener Symphoniker
Wiener Singakademie (Coaching: Heinz Ferlesch)
Wiener Singverein (Coaching: Johannes Prinz)