J.M. Kraus’ Symphonies, 1 – Residency 50

Theresia Orchestra, under the direction of Alfredo Bernardini, will undertake the most comprehensive recording of Kraus’s symphonies ever created on period instruments. This groundbreaking project, produced in collaboration with the label Classic Produktion Osnabrück, will be guided by Dr. Bertil van Boer, compiler of the Kraus Thematic Catalogue and editor of the symphonies and other works. The recording will incorporate the latest musicological research, including performances of newly discovered and newly attributed works.

The recording of Kraus’s symphonic works forms part of an ambitious long-term initiative that began with the recording of his overtures and will culminate in the performance of his opera Aeneas i Carthago. This monumental work, written in Swedish, is among the longest operas ever composed and has never been fully staged in its original version since its creation.

This project of recording and performing all of the extant symphonies by Joseph Martin Kraus is being done according to the latest research and critical editions. This should supersede all of the existing recordings, which are generally based upon the various practical and heavily edited versions over the past 40 years. At the present time, these editions are both practical and at the same time critical according to the most authentic sources available, in some cases Kraus’s autographs.

The recording project is organized into four 10-day periods, scheduled between January 2026 and summer 2027.