This was a fun day—our only day in Vienna! It’s pretty challenging to even plan what to do when time is so limited. The choir split into many smaller groups for their adventures. Some hit the museums, some just walked around, many found shopping, many more found gelato, and one small group decided to see as many churches as possible and sing in each. I hear they managed 12 before needing to head back to get into their concert gear.
We had a soundcheck in the church, the Weiner Minoritenkirche. This is a very beautiful church with perfect acoustics for a choir. We knew immediately this would be a fine concert…but we weren’t sure if there would be a very large audience.
I took quite a few photos during the warmup and rehearsal, some of which are here. There is not often an opportunity to get close to the choir without bothering an audience.
This is called the “Italian church” in Vienna—perhaps because of the 1:1 sized image of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” on a wall inside. It is a gorgeous reproduction; and then there is the story behind it. Commissioned by Napoleon, it wasn’t finished before he abdicated. The Emperor of Austria bought it, wanting to install it in the Belvedere in Vienna. As it was too large for the building, it was donated by Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria to the Italian Congregation and set up on the north wall of the church, where it remains to this day. The mosaic is 9.18 x 4.47 m and weighs approximately 20 tons. It is made of tiny tiles, and is considered the best replica still intact. It has been used as a reference to restore the original painting as the colors are considered to be accurate still.
We had a good Viennese dinner at a restaurant in walking distance of the church. We had some schnitzel, but no strudel yet.
Then back to the church to find an almost full house waiting for us. There were some good friends there from BYU music over the years. Many of the audience chose to stand in the back of the nave so they could have a complete view of the choir rather than sit on the side and have a partial view. The choir sang only sacred literature at the priest’s request, and they sang a beautiful and very well-received concert! A well-deserved standing ovation came after the last piece sung: “I Am a Child of God” in German.
