Balthasar Neumann-Chor und Ensemble
2018-07-10 00:00:00
Choir
In January 2011 Gramophone magazine included the Balthasar Neumann Choir in its list of the world’s “20 greatest choirs”, an accolade regularly confirmed by the national and international press. It is not only the Choir’s remarkably high musical standards that set it apart from other international vocal ensembles but also, and above all, its artistic versatility. Every singer is in a position to assume the duties of a soloist but is also capable of being fully integrated into the overall sound as part of a collective. The result is a unique degree of flexibility in terms of vocal resources and repertory.
The Ensemble’s namesake was not only an epochal Baroque architect. Balthasar Neumann (1687–1753) stands for daring creativity and integral concepts in perfection. As a master-builder he was a pioneer, who for the first time allowed architecture, paintings, sculptures, and gardens to interact. His ideals form the cornerstone in the work of the two Balthasar-Neumann-Ensembles.
Evonik Industries is accompanying the research of the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensembles; musicological research is enabled and support is given for the exploration of sources in the search of musical treasures.
The Choir was formed by Thomas Hengelbrock in 1991 and now appears in Europe’s leading concert halls and at major festivals. Tours have also taken the singers to China, Mexico and the United States of America.
Romantic and contemporary works feature in a repertory that focuses on the music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Their concert programmes are carefully planned in terms of their dramaturgical structure and feature rarely performed works, including music by Lotti, Steffani and Zelenka, alongside mainstream repertory pieces. The Choir has also made a name for itself with innovative musical and literary performances that bring together a number of different genres.
The Balthasar Neumann Choir not only works with its artistic director and with the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble but is also much sought after by other conductors, including Marcus Creed, András Schiff, René Jacobs and Christoph Prégardien. The Choir also works regularly with Pablo Heras-Casado and Ivor Bolton.
Ensemble
The Balthasar Neumann Ensemble celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2015. It was in 1995 that Thomas Hengelbrock brought together a group of outstanding musicians to create a new ensemble, their aim being to perform music on the basis of historically informed performance practice, while not limiting themselves exclusively to the field of early music. Works from the early Baroque to the modern period are performed on period instruments in keeping with the historical background and the date of their composition.
The Ensemble’s namesake was not only an epochal Baroque architect. Balthasar Neumann (1687–1753) stands for daring creativity and integral concepts in perfection. As a master-builder he was a pioneer, who for the first time allowed architecture, paintings, sculptures, and gardens to interact. His ideals form the cornerstone in the work of the two Balthasar-Neumann-Ensembles. Evonik Industries is accompanying the research of the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensembles; musicological research is enabled and support is given for the exploration of sources in the search of musical treasures.
The Ensemble’s work constitutes a synthesis of repertory performances and pioneering feats. When performed in their original guise, operas by Mozart, Bizet, Verdi and even Wagner have surprised public and press alike. In 2013, together with his two ensembles, Thomas Hengelbrock presented a sensational series of concert performances of Parsifal in Dortmund, Essen and Madrid.
The orchestra regularly appears at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus, the Paris Opéra, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Dortmund Konzerthaus, the Essen Philharmonie and the Salzburg Festival.
Both ensembles have collected numerous honours and awards in the course of their distinguished careers. These include the Culture Prize of the Region of Baden-Württemberg, several Echo Klassik Awards and a Gramophone Award.
http://www.balthasar-neumann.com/en/117622-2/
Relevante recensies
