Philharmonie Festiva

The Philharmonie Festiva was founded by the conductor Gerd Schaller in 2008 to perform at the Ebrach Summer Music Festival.

Contents

• Recordings of Anton Bruckners symphonies
• Recordings with the Munich Philharmonic Choir
• Other recordings
• Songs
• References

The core of the orchestra consists of the long-standing Munich Bach Soloists. Selected musicians from renowned orchestras in Germany and neighbouring countries expand its forces when large symphonic works are called for. The orchestra drew attention with its first project, the world premiere recording of Karl Goldmark's opera Merlin. That was awarded an ECHO Klassik in 2010 for that year's best recording of a nineteenth-century opera.

The international fame of the Philharmonie Festiva grew with its recordings of all Anton Bruckner's symphonies, including several versions never before heard. The recordings were made in the Cistercian Abbey in Ebrach and formed part of the Bruckner cycle performed at the Ebrach Summer Music Festival.

In addition to the standard repertoire, the orchestra devotes itself to rare musical works and rediscoveries (Karl Goldmark's First Symphony; Franz Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, "finished" in William Carragan's four-movement version).

The close collaboration between the Philharmonie Festiva and the Munich Philharmonic Choir is documented in CDs featuring Franz von Suppé's Requiem and Johann von Herbeck's Great Mass.

Most of the recordings were made in collaboration with Bayerischer Rundfunk's Studio Franken and have been released on the Profil label of Edition Günter Hänssler.