Munich choirboys

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Munich choirboys
Munich choirboys
Seat: Munich
Founding: 1952
Genus: Boys' choir
Founder: Fritz Rothschuh
Head : Bernhard Reimann
Voices : 120 ( SATB )
Website : [1]

The Münchner Chorbuben are a boys' choir in the Bavarian capital Munich , which is known beyond the borders of Germany. He also performs together with the Munich choir girls . On January 1, 2011, the two choirs came together under the umbrella of Junge Chöre München .

Career

The Münchner Chorbuben , founded in 1952 by Fritz Rothschuh, attracted national attention soon after their first appearances in the Bavarian capital. In the first decade of their existence they appeared in world premieres of works by Heinrich Sutermeister (1955) and Carl Orff (1956) and also appeared in music films from the 1950s and 1960s - including Das Haus in Montevideo from 1963 with Heinz Rühmann and Ruth Leuwerik . In addition to a continuous concert activity in Munich, the first tours led the choirboys to Italy in 1953 and to Switzerland in 1954 . Only a few years after their founding, they had performed in almost every country in Europe - and several times in many of them.

After the sudden death of Rothschuh (1921–1978), who composed numerous pieces for the Munich choirboys , his wife and colleague Marie-Luise Rothschuh led the choirboys for a few years until, in 1983, Bernhard Reimann took over the direction of the choir. Reimann had once started his musical career with the Munich choirboys .

In 1996 Bernhard Reimann founded the Munich choir girls . The choir girls had their first concert experience in the same year at the autumn concert of the Munich choirboys in Munich. The Munich choir boys and the Munich choir girls often perform together.

The Munich choirboys have become internationally known through many thousands of concerts that they have given at home and abroad. Her more than 150 concert tours have taken her to almost all European countries, as well as Turkey , the United States , Canada and Japan . Their longest tour to date took the choirboys to Australia in 1994 , where they were the first German boys' choir to perform with great success in cities such as Sydney , Melbourne and Adelaide . You were guests of several German federal presidents and sang in front of five popes in Rome .

The choir maintains friendly relations with other youth choirs at home and abroad. Collaboration with important conductors, participation in world premieres of musical works by contemporary composers as well as appearances on radio, film and television are all part of this.

education

The regular or concert choir consists of around 120 boys and girls who are introduced to choral work in several training courses. As a non-profit company, early musical education for children from the age of four, afternoon and homework supervision, individual instrumental lessons and joint leisure activities are also offered. In cooperation with the Bavarian Ministry of Culture and the Luitpold-Gymnasium in Munich- Lehel , a choir class was formed at the Luitpold-Gymnasium in September 2006. This cooperation continues to this day. There is no boarding school affiliated with the choir. The children are individually supported in choir and solo lessons by several choir conductors, vocal and instrumental teachers in order to arouse their enthusiasm and passion for music. The choir, which usually appears in a four-part mixed line-up, sees itself as an ensemble that promotes the children and young people in the community. In contrast to other boys' choirs, the focus here is on choral singing. Individuals with special talents can also receive a solo training.

repertoire

In addition to their tours around the world, the Munich choir boys and girls perform several times a year in and around Munich. Fixed points in the concert year are the spring and autumn concerts, which are performed at different venues - mostly in churches (often St. Boniface) in Munich's inner city area. The Christmas concert is the big final event of the choir, which has been taking place on the 3rd or 4th Sunday of Advent in St. Joseph for several years.

The repertoire includes secular vocal music from the Middle Ages to the modern age, folk songs , madrigals and motets , church music from Gregorian chant to classical to modern times, spirituals , musicals and popular music. For example, the choirboys took part in the world premiere of Michael Jackson's Dangerous World Tour (on June 27, 1992 in front of 72,000 spectators in the Munich Olympic Stadium ) as well as in the German premiere of the Liverpool Oratorio by Paul McCartney .

The Munich choir boys and girls were also invited to the official celebrations for the 850th birthday of the state capital Munich in summer 2008 to take part in the world premiere of the choral symphony Valentin 1945 - Declaration of Love to Munich by Helga Pogatschar , which had been commissioned for the city anniversary. The premiere took place on July 13, 2008 in the Philharmonie am Gasteig and received a strong, sometimes contradicting response from the public and the press.

Appearances

The Munich Chorbuben appeared in numerous performances - even world premieres - from operas, operettas and oratorios, including the St. Matthew Passion (for example, conducted by Karl Richter and at a film adaptation) and the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach (for example, under the direction of Eugen Jochum ), Im Weiße Rößl by Ralph Benatzky (together with Erika Köth , Ingeborg Hallstein , Rudolf Schock , Peter Alexander and Uschi Glas ), Wozzek by Alban Berg , Carmen by Georges Bizet (for the first time in 1954 with Rudolf Schock as Don José ), Johanna at the stake by Arthur Honegger , Hansel and Gretel and Königskinder by Engelbert Humperdinck , Der Evangelimann by Wilhelm Kienzl , the Vespers of Mary 1610 by Claudio Monteverdi , Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Boris Godunow by Modest Mussorgski , Suor Angelica and Turandot by Giacomo Puccini , Seraphine or The Mute Pharmacist and the Children's Crusade by Heinrich Sutermeister (the latter performed under the direction of the composer). They took part in the world premiere of Carl Orff's Easter play Comoedia de Christi Resurrectione (1956) and interpreted the school work of the Munich composer.

The choirboys also played a part in film, television, radio and theater productions, including in productions of the Life of Galilei by Bertolt Brecht with the music by Hanns Eisler , in Peterchen's moon trip by Gerdt von Bassewitz and the Edelweißkönig by Ludwig Ganghofer (with Attila Hörbiger ) . In TV shows like the Michael Schanze show Would you have time for me today? , the star hour gala of Bavarian television, turntable , country journal and ZDF winter garden on ZDF , 1000 voices festival of choirs , Wunschbox and Kein Schöner Land on ARD and many others.

Discography

The Munich choirboys recorded works from the baroque and classical periods, including:

The own albums document the broad repertoire of the choir, including:

  • Alleluia . Sacred choral music through the centuries and from other continents
  • Laudate Dominum . Sacred choral music through the centuries - from Gregorian chant to spiritual
  • Christmas with the Munich choirboys . Well-known Advent and Christmas carols, Alpine wise men and Christmas carols from other countries
  • The most beautiful songs and folk wisdom from all over the world . Well-known folk songs, wise men from other countries, evening and farewell songs
  • Christmas with the Young Choirs Munich . Traditional and new Christmas carols, alpine tunes and Christmas carols from other countries

Awards

  • 1983: 2nd place in the first ZDF children's choir competition

Web links