Baroque with Passion – Michael Schade at Melk Abbey

Every year since 1992, the International Baroque Days have taken place at Pentecost in the Benedictine abbey of Melk on the Danube. Kammersänger Michael Schade has led the festival as artistic director since 2014. Marking his tenth anniversary, the film looks back on his tenure – the early years and their challenges, the festival’s artistic development and Schade’s commitment to young musicians – and ahead to the future.

Long-standing colleagues and friends such as Abbot Georg Wilfinger, the conductor Stefan Gottfried, Christina Pluhar, Erich Höbarth and Franz Harnoncourt tell their stories, along with Johanna Rosa Falkinger, prizewinner of the International Schmelzer Competition. Excerpts from festival concerts link the conversations, among them Haydn’s “Creation” from 2018 and Purcell’s “Music for a while” from “Love can do it all” (2020).

Melk Abbey is not just the backdrop but the cultural and spiritual centre of the film.