Classical Notes: February 24, 2010 Archive

Mr. Kraus Goes to Sweden

Posted at 1:33 AM on February 24, 2010 by Ward Jacobson
Filed under: Musician stories, Programs

Joseph Martin Kraus made his way from Germany to Sweden when he was 21, desperately trying to get the attention of the music-loving King Gustav. Kraus lived in extreme poverty during his first three years in Stockholm, but eventually got his foot in the door and the King took notice. By 1781, Krauss had become Director of Sweden's Royal Academy of Music. Many of his symphonies have been lost or attributed to other composers, but there's an authentic Kraus symphony waiting for you late tonight (12:05am, Thursday) on Classical MPR. It's an exclusive, Euro-Classic performance by the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, recorded live last June in Schwetzingen, Germany.

Our Saturday night (8:05pm) Euro-Classic returns to Germany (St. Kastor Basilica, Koblenz) where there's gorgeous choral music: selections from Monteverdi's Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, featuring the ensemble La Venexiana.