Franziska Fleischanderl Portrait

Il dolce conforto
David Drabek | violin
Natalie Carducci | violin
Sara Gómez Yunta | cello
Viola Alex Jellici | cello
Fran Petrac | contrabass
Deniel Perer | harpsichord
Pablo Fitzgerald | lute
Franziska Fleischanderl | salterio

Almquartett
Toni Burger | violin
Hermann Härtel | violin
Simon Wascher | symphonia
Franziska Fleischanderl | hammered dulcimer

Lavish gold ornamentation and a silvery sound: in 18th century Venice, the very sight of a salterio string instrument elevated it to a dazzling prestigious object. Its tonal richness was showcased in masterfully composed concerts.

In her many years of scientific and artistic research, Franziska Fleischanderl has accomplished pioneering work across the board. She is the first musician in the world to have explored and mastered all the historical playing techniques of the baroque salterio. Her instrument will be exactly 300 years old in 2025. She explains: “You don’t often have the chance to buy a salterio in Europe. Although the photos were blurry, I spotted it at first glance: this one is something special! Like in a romantic film, I carried the salterio in my arms, wrapped in sheets on a gondola... I met the love of my professional life in Venice.”

Fleischanderl uses a descendant of the salterio when she performs with the Almquartett. With dulcimer, zither, violin, and symphonia, the ensemble navigates the interface between folk songs and classical music – and redefines it. A yodel embedded in Mozart’s German Dances, baroque snippets merged with folk music – the genre boundaries are more permeable than expected!

Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Concerto in C major, RV 186

Anonymous (Venice)
Sonata (18th c.), Adagio

Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto in D major, RV 220
Ho nel petto un cor sí forte
Andante in A minor, RV 294a
Sonata in D major, RV 84
Concerto in E minor, RV 275

The Almquartett’s programme will be announced live on stage.