Gmunden 13. - 23. August 2010

The son of a farmer from Styria (Austria), Johann Joseph Fux, was born 1660 and died 1741, when in Europe Maria Theresia and Friedrich II acceded to the throne. Fux is the first in a long row of great Austrian composers. For a long time he was misleadingly classified as conservative and puristic, because his music anticipated a lot of developments in music. Here and there the Venetian as well as the French Style comes through, other parts anticipate the classical style of Haydn and the warmness reminds of another later composer with rural roots, Anton Bruckner. Fux essentially influenced the baroque music of Europe. He bequeathed a large musical opus and as music director at court he creates many famous oratorios, big messes and exhilarated operas. He became one of the most significant musicians in due time.

This year is his 350. Birthday and the Austrian Baroque Academy dedicated her master classes to this great composer and teacher. Passed down reports showed: Fux was an extremely vital teacher. He could persuade his students that there are not just one or two ways through a composition, but a lot of possible ways. He encouraged and complimented them. He would have been thrilled about an initiative as the one of the Austrian Baroque Academy. Johann Sebastian Bach ranked Fux always first on the list of those composers he admires the most. Fux was at all times in search of the most beautiful in music. In the instrumentation of his works he often chooses new, colorful paths and he uses a mix of new and old instruments (zink, recorder). Therewith he became a pioneer for other generations. The traditional roots were very important for Fux, but he wanted to get on and let on older roots grow new flowers. At his year master classes we will explore the mysteries of the music of Johann Joseph Fux and we will let ourselves be inspired in the same way as Fux was inspired himself.

Artistic Director 2010: Maurice van Lieshout

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Fux
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