NDR Chor | |
---|---|
Choir | |
Origin | Hamburg, Germany |
Founded | 1946 |
Genre | Professional mixed choir |
Chief conductor | Philipp Ahmann |
Awards | Johannes Brahms Medal |
Website | www |
The NDR Chor (North German Radio Choir) [1] is the choir of the German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), based in Hamburg. It was founded in 1946, with Max Thurn as the first director of then 55 singers. The group has participated in premieres of contemporary music, such as the posthumous concert premiere of Schoenberg's opera Moses und Aron . It is also known for a capella music, introduced by Helmut Franz such as a recording of all such works by Johannes Brahms. The current artistic director is Philipp Ahmann, who has held the position from 2008. NDR Chor, now a group of 28 singers, is one of the leading professional chamber choirs in Germany. [1]
The NDR Chor was founded in Hamburg on 1 May 1946, then as choir of the Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR) and took its present name in 1956 when the broadcaster was split in NDR and WDR. [2] Its first director was Max Thurn who accepted 55 singers from more than 2,000 applications by professional singers. [3] During the first years it was focused on broadcasts in collaboration with the symphony orchestra, NDR Sinfonieorchester (now NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester), in programs that were usually also performed in concerts. [1] In 1948, the choir participated in a recording of Beethoven's Fidelio conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt. [3] From 1953 Thurn conducted a series of Bach cantatas with choir members and members of the NDR Sinfonieorchester. [4] The choir took part in pioneering projects, such as the concert premiere of Arnold Schoenberg's opera Moses und Aron . Ferenc Fricsay conducted in 1959 Rossini's Stabat Mater. [3] Thurn was director until his retirement in 1965. [3]
Contemporary music was more frequently performed when Helmut Franz became director. He conducted in 1967 the premiere of Ligetis Lux aeterna for a cappella choir in a series das neue werk (the new work). [3] Premieres included Pendereckis Utrenja , Henze's oratorio Floß der Medusa which caused a scandal, and Stockhausen's Atmen gibt das Leben . [3] Franz chose Bach's Mass in B minor for his final concert with the choir in 1978.
A more recent focus is a cappella music of all periods. [1] The choir recorded all a cappella work by Johannes Brahms, [2] conducted by Hamburg's Kirchenmusikdirektor Günter Jena, who studied the program from 1981 in around half a year of daily rehearsals. The recording gained the French award Orphée d’Or and became a trademark of the NDR Chor. [3]
In the 1990s, the choir was directed by a Doppelspitze (double lead) of Robin Gritton and Michael Gläser. [3] Leon Schidlowsky composed his Laudate for the choir in 1996. From 1999 to 2004, Hans-Christoph Rademann became choir director. He achieved more transparency in the sound, following historically informed performance of Baroque music, but conducting works by Reger and Bruckner with the same intention. [3]
From the 2008/09 season, Philipp Ahmann has been artistic director of the ensemble. [1] [5] He found an ensemble of only 28 singers and programmed chamber music to match the size. [3] He created a new series four concerts per year focused on a theme. [1] The choir collaborates with the other musical groups of the NDR, but also with other German radio choirs. It has promoted to make music more accessible, presenting a program Konzert statt Schule (concert instead of school), performing concerts for families, conducting workshops open for students of music academies of the region ( Musikhochschule ), and regular concerts at locations of the region served by the NDR. [1]
In April 2010, the NDR Chor was awarded the Johannes Brahms Medal of the city of Hamburg, given for special merits for musical life in Hamburg and preservation of the cultural heritage of Brahms ("für besondere Verdienste um das Hamburgische Musikleben und die Pflege des Kulturerbes von Johannes Brahms"). [6] Ahman conducted a festive program on 19 April 2010, of Bach's motets Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225, and Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf, BWV 226, Fest- und Gedenksprüche and Warum ist das Licht gegeben by Johannes Brahms, Knut Nystedt's Immortal Bach and Arvo Pärt's Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen. [4]
The conductor and composer Eric Whitacre organized in 2012 a sing-along project, SINGING!, in Hamburg, which has become an annual institution, connecting hundreds of singers with the NDR Chor. [1] [7]
The 70th season in 2016/17, also the first season in the concert hall Elbphilharmonie, is marked by extra concerts, including Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel, Haydn's Die Schöpfung and Handel's Israel in Egypt . [8] In the opening concert of the new concert hall on 11 January 2017, the NDR Chor performed in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock. [9]
In more than 70 years, the choir had the following directors: [3]
Hans Thomas Hengelbrock is a German violinist, musicologist, stage director and conductor.
Wolfgang Schäfer is a German choral conductor and academic teacher. He founded the Freiburger Vokalensemble, the BosArt Trio, and the Frankfurter Kammerchor.
Hans-Christoph Rademann is a German choral conductor, currently the director of the Dresdner Kammerchor and the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart.
The Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg is a mixed choir in Hamburg, the chamber choir of the University of Hamburg since 1961. Founded in 1955 by Jürgen Jürgens and directed by him until 1994, it is one of Germany's most famous concert choirs. The choir is well known for its interpretations of Baroque and Renaissance music, but covers choral music from the Renaissance to contemporary music. Since 1994, the conductor has been Gothart Stier.
The Chor von St. Bonifatius is a German mixed choir, the church choir of the parish St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden. It was founded in 1862 as a male choir and was a mixed choir from 1887. From 1981 to 2018, it was conducted by Gabriel Dessauer, who founded two children's choirs. The group sang the first performance in Germany of John Rutter's Mass of the Children and performed in Azkoitia, San Sebastián, Görlitz, Bruges, Macon and Rome. Colin Mawby composed for the choir the Missa solemnis Bonifatius-Messe for the 150th anniversary, celebrated on 3 October 2012. From 2019, the choir has been conducted by Roman Twardy who conducted in his first concert Dvořák's Stabat Mater. On 1 January 2022, Johannes Schröder became church musician. He conducted as his first choral concert Verdi's Requiem in an arrangement for small ensemble.
Ursula Zollenkopf is a German classical contralto singer. A member of the NDR Chor based in Hamburg, she appeared as a soloist in opera and concert, including premieres of contemporary music such as Stravinsky's Threni and Schoenberg's Moses und Aron.
Max Thurn was a German conductor who was known particularly for his work as a choral conductor. He was the director of the choir of the Hamburg State Opera and of the NDR Chor, and was a co-founder of the boys' choir of the broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR).
The EuropaChorAkademie is a German mixed choir, founded by Joshard Daus in 1997 as a group formed by students of two music universities, the University of Mainz and the University of the Arts Bremen. They have performed internationally and recorded choral works including Mahler's Second Symphony and Schönberg's Moses und Aron.
Philipp Ahmann is a German conductor, especially known as a choral conductor. He has been the director of the NDR Chor from 2008 to 2018. Since 2020, Ahmann is the MDR Rundfunkchor's artistic director.
Helmut Franz was a German academic teacher and conductor who was known particularly for his work as a choral conductor. He was the director of NDR Chor, based in Hamburg, from 1966 to 1987, focused on a cappella music and contemporary classical music.
Günter Jena is a German choral conductor and musicologist. He was the director of church music at St. Michaelis in Hamburg from 1973 to 1997. He founded the festival Bach-Tage Hamburg, and provided music for ballet performances of choreographer John Neumeier at the Hamburg State Opera, including Bach's St Matthew Passion.
The WDR Rundfunkchor Köln is the choir of the German broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), based in Cologne. It was founded in 1947. The choir premiered works by contemporary composers including Arnold Schoenberg's unfinished opera Moses und Aron in 1954, Karlheinz Stockhausen's Momente, Luigi Nono's Il canto sospeso, Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Requiem für einen jungen Dichter and Penderecki's St Luke Passion.
Fest- und Gedenksprüche, Op. 109, is a cycle of three motets for mixed double choir by Johannes Brahms. He completed the work, setting biblical verses to music, in 1889 and dedicated it to Carl Petersen. It was published in 1890 by Simrock.
MDR Rundfunkchor is the radio choir of the German broadcaster Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), based in Leipzig, Saxony. Dating back to 1924, the choir became the radio choir of a predecessor of the MDR in 1946, then called Kammerchor des Senders Leipzig, or Rundfunkchor Leipzig. The present name was established in 1992. The choir has appeared internationally, and has made award-winning recordings.
Mirko Ludwig is a German tenor who is mostly active in concert, especially in historically informed performance. He is a member of the vocal quartet Quartonal.
Christiane Iven is a German lied, concert and opera singer as well as a vocal teacher at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.
Wiebke Lehmkuhl is a German contralto in opera and concert who has appeared at international leading opera houses and festivals, including as Wagner's Magdalene at the Bayreuth Festival, as Erda in Paris, and as Annina at the Salzburg Festival. She was the alto soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the 2017 opening of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Der Mädchenchor Hannover is a girls' choir of girls and young women, based in Hannover, the state capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Girls and young woman between ages 14 and 20 perform a wide range of repertoire from Renaissance to contemporary music. The choir won prizes at international competitions and made recordings.
Gustav Classens was a German conductor who shaped musical life in Bonn. He was municipal music director and conductor of the Beethoven Orchester Bonn from 1933 to 1949, continuing concerts during World War II and reviving them after the war. He was then for decades conductor of the choir Chor der Bonner Bach-Gemeinschaft that he founded.
Benjamin Appl is a German-British lyric baritone, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in opera houses and concert halls, particularly known as a Lieder singer.