Schiersteiner Kantorei (Schierstein Chorale) is a German concert choir, founded in 1962 at the Christophoruskirche in Wiesbaden-Schierstein. The choir performs regularly in the Marktkirche, Wiesbaden, and in Eberbach Abbey. It is known internationally through its tours and recordings. The choir was awarded the Culture Prize of the City of Wiesbaden in 1990.
The Schiersteiner choir was founded in 1962 by Johannes Krüger, then cantor at the Christophoruskirche. [1] [2] Since 1972, the choir has been directed by Professor Martin Lutz, who shaped the group of some 40 singers to a large concert choir. [3] Schiersteiner Kantorei performs regularly in the Marktkirche, Wiesbaden, and in Eberbach Abbey, and has conducted tours to England, France, Portugal, and Switzerland. The choir was awarded the Culture Prize of the City of Wiesbaden in 1990. As of 2012, the choir's 50th year, it has about 130 singers. Smaller subgroups perform chamber works. [4]
The core work of the choir is based on Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. In addition, most major oratorios and choral works as well as a variety of a cappella pieces are part of the choir's repertoire. Major works are regularly performed in the Marktkirche, Wiesbaden, and in Eberbach Abbey. [4] The orchestra is the Bach Ensemble Wiesbaden, formed by leading musicians of orchestras in the Rhine-Main area. [5] Works of Viennese Classicism and Romanticism are presented in historically informed performance.
Since 2004, the choir has been part of a project to perform all Bach sacred cantatas as part of monthly services, introduced by a lecture. The services are held at both the Marktkirche and the Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt, in a collaboration with the Kantorei St. Katharinen and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt. [5] [6]
Recordings have included Bach's St John Passion (2003) and St Matthew Passion (2006), with Christoph Prégardien as the Evangelist, Konrad Jarnot and Klaus Mertens as the Vox Christi, soprano Siri Thornhill, alto Matthias Rexroth and bass Markus Flaig. [7] In 2009, the choir performed Handel's Solomon at the Marktkirche with Andreas Scholl in the title role, tenor Andreas Karasiak and bass Gotthold Schwarz. [8] In its 50th year, the choir performed Bach's St Matthew Passion in the Marktkirche on 31 March 2012. [9] [10]
Andreas Scholl is a German countertenor, a male classical singer in the alto vocal range, specialising in Baroque music.
St. Catherine's Church is the largest Protestant church in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is a parish church in the old city centre near one of the most famous city squares, the Hauptwache. The church is dedicated to the martyred early Christian saint Catherine of Alexandria.
Schierstein is a southwestern borough of Wiesbaden, capital of state of Hesse, Germany. First mentioned in historical records in 860, Schierstein was incorporated into Wiesbaden in 1926. Today the borough has about 10,000 residents. Situated on the Rhine River, Schierstein is known as the "Gateway to the Rheingau."
Klaus Mertens is a German bass and bass-baritone singer who is known especially for his interpretation of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach for bass voice.
The Rheingau Musik Festival (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, in the wine-growing Rheingau region between Wiesbaden and Lorch.
Andreas Karasiak is a German classical tenor in opera and concert.
Gerlinde Sämann is a German soprano known for her performances in concerts and operas. She is particularly associated with the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her concert repertoire also includes lieder, oratorio, early music, and contemporary music.
Elisabeth Scholl is a German soprano and academic teacher.
Markus Flaig is a German bass-baritone.
Marktkirche is the main Protestant church in Wiesbaden, the state capital of Hesse, Germany. The neo-Gothic church on the central Schlossplatz was designed by Carl Boos and built between 1853 and 1862. At the time it was the largest brick building of the Duchy of Nassau. It is also called Nassauer Landesdom.
Martin Lutz is a German musicologist, conductor and harpsichordist. He was the musical director of the concert choir Schiersteiner Kantorei in Wiesbaden from 1972 to 2017, and founded the biennual festival Wiesbadener Bachwochen in 1975.
The Christophoruskirche is a Protestant church in the borough of Schierstein, Wiesbaden, Germany. It was built in 1752 to 1754 in the style of the late Baroque and Rococo.
Knut Schoch is a German tenor in opera and concert as a specialist in the field of historically informed performance, and an academic voice teacher.
Berthold Klemens Possemeyer is a German baritone in opera and concert, and a voice teacher at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main.
Erhard Egidi was a German cantor, organist and composer of sacred music. He was Kantor at the Neustädter Kirche, Hannover, from 1972 to 1991, where he concentrated on music in church services, but also conducted concerts, with a preference for works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his own teacher Ernst Pepping. He was appointed Kirchenmusikdirektor, responsible for the church music of Hanover.
Georg Poplutz is a German tenor, a soloist in Baroque music, opera and oratorio, and a Lied singer. He has been a member of vocal ensembles such as Johann Rosenmüller Ensemble and Cantus Cölln, and has participated in a project to record the complete works of Heinrich Schütz.
Rheingauer Kantorei, now Neue Rheingauer Kantorei, is a mixed choir of the Rheingau region in Germany, performing mostly sacred music in services and concerts.
Frank Stähle was a German musician, a chorale conductor and the director of Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium in Frankfurt from 1979 to 2007.
Figuralchor Frankfurt is a mixed choir in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It was founded in 1966 as a youth choir for the broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk by Alois Ickstadt, who conducted it for 45 years. From 1977 to the 1990s, the choir was known as Figuralchor des Hessischen Rundfunks. It performs in concerts, radio productions and recordings, with a focus on a cappella music, but has also participated in joint symphonic productions such as Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand for the opening of the Alte Oper concert hall in 1981. The choir has been conducted by Paul Leonard Schäffer since 2016.
Wiesbadener Bachwochen is a biennial festival of music around Johann Sebastian Bach in Wiesbaden, the state capital of Hesse, Germany. It was initiated and has been run by Martin Lutz. The city awards the Bachpreis der Landeshauptstadt Wiesbaden to an organist who wins the festival's international competition.
