Kgl. Harmony Hergenrath
Königliche Harmonie Hergenrath is a symphonic wind orchestra from the village of Hergenrath in Belgium .
The ensemble
The club, founded in 1897, is considered to be the top orchestra in East Belgium. The repertoire is equally linked to the classical and the modern. From January 2004 to December 2018, Harmonie was under the direction of conductor Gerhard Sporken .
The Hergenrath musicians successfully took part in numerous national and international musical competitions. In 1980 the formation won the gold medal at the national music competition of the city of Antwerp. When taking part in an international competition in Luxembourg , Harmonie won a “First European Prize with Distinction” in the face of strong European competition. In 1999 the harmony won a first prize at the highest level at the international brass music festival in Prague . In 2013 the Kgl. Harmonie Hergenrath took third place in the competition game in the highest level at the German Music Festival in Chemnitz. An international concert tour led the Kgl. Harmonie Hergenrath 2017 to Salzburg (Austria). The musicians gave two concerts in Mozart City, on Residenzplatz and in Maxglankirche. In June 2019 the Kgl. Harmonie Hergenrath in the Trifolion concert hall in Echternach (Luxembourg).
Since 1989, Harmonie has been recognized by the German-speaking Community of Belgium as an “ensemble with special artistic distinction”.
history
1897-1945
The first general assembly with 15 members took place in July 1897, and Andreas Wintgens was elected founding president. The first public appearance took place in the same month. A first group photo was taken on April 30, 1911. Because of the First World War , activities were suspended from 1916 to 1918, four active musicians were killed in the field. In February 1919 a request was made to the district commander to be allowed to resume the weekly rehearsals, which was also granted.
1945–1972
At the beginning of the Second World War , the harmony first appeared at church festivals and patriotic events, but eventually the association had to cease its activities temporarily as more and more members were called to arms. From 1947 regular rehearsals were held again. The 50th anniversary of the association could only be celebrated on a small scale in 1950.
On December 22nd, 1962, the Harmonie played the first radio recording (half an hour of marching music). It was on March 11, 1963 at 19:30 in the Belgian radio broadcast. On April 18, 1970, the association took part in the first classification competition organized by Födekam . He was placed in the third category. In the second competition held by Födekam, the musicians achieved 93.5% and moved up to the 2nd category.
As part of the gala evening for the 75th anniversary, the association was granted the honorary title of "royal" through a certificate. "Quatuor belge de Saxophones" and the band of the Belgian naval forces played at a gala concert.
1972 – today
On October 1, 1975, Joseph Meessen was replaced on the conductor's podium by the Welkenraedter professional musician Jean-Marie Cremer. On November 30, 1980, Harmonie won a gold medal at the “National Music Tournament” in Antwerp. In Leuven on March 2, 1986, the club was able to achieve the title of "national champion" in the highest category. In Ettelbrück (Luxembourg), Harmonie faced an international comparison at the music competition of the Union Grand-Duc Adolphe (UGDA) on May 31, 1987 and received a first prize with distinction. At a European competition for harmony orchestras in the Luxembourg capital on May 24, 1990, Royal Harmony won a “First European Prize with Distinction” and the Luxembourg City Cup.
In 1997 the Harmonie celebrated its 100th anniversary. On this occasion, on January 4th and 5th, 1997, Harmonie produced their first CD with the title “Kleine Perlen Großer Meister” and celebrated the anniversary from 7th to 11th May with a big music festival.
At the International Wind Music Festival in Prague in January 1999, Harmonie won first prize in the highest level, and conductor Jean-Marie Cremer was named the best conductor of the festival. On the occasion of the introduction of the euro in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, Harmonie gave a concert in December 2001 in the coronation hall of Aachen city hall. On July 7, 2002, Harmonie took part in the “Music Marathon” in Eupen and accompanied the mezzo-soprano Veronique Solhosse (finalist at the “Concours Reine Elisabeth” in Brussels 2000).
Since January 2004 the Harmonie has been under the direction of Gerhard Sporken . In October 2004 the Harmonie in Fouron took part in the world premiere of the "Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Band" by Derek Bourgeois and the "Waltz-Aria N ° 6 for Trombone & Wind Band" by Jos. Serafini-Alschausky.
In the Födekam classification in 2005, the Harmonie Hergenrath confirmed its class with a result of 95.9% in the highest level and again received the rating "with special artistic distinction".