The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is spending a week serenading Vienna as part of a three week tour in Europe. Premiering “Sacrosanto” on All Saints Day, the performance and orchestra were well received, even by a local Cardinal, Cristoph Shoenborn. The Symphony will continue playing this and other songs at the Musikverein before moving on in their tour.

For every human, there is a point in life when an unexpected event changes everything. It can be happy or sad, but it means life will never be the same.

That is the moment Austrian composer Herbert Willi aimed to capture in "Sacrosanto," a violin concerto premiered Thursday night at the Musikverein by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and soloist Nikolaj Znaider.

It was the second night of a weeklong residence in Vienna, the third stop of the PSO's three-week tour of Europe. Although the program was all Austrian, the PSO introduced itself with a predominantly American program the first night, Oct. 29. It finishes with -- what else -- Mahler this weekend, recorded live for a CD release on label Exton in about six months.

Read More on post-gazette.com