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The Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor is Hamburg's renowned concert choir. The choir finds great resonance for decades and recognition, particularly through the performances of major oratorios of music literature. Their repertoire includes a variety of musical styles and eras. Their broad musical spectrum shows the choir in a wide range of concert activity, which opera performances have been added in recent years.
Until 1998 the choir worked under the name "St. Michaelis-Chor" with home at the main church in Hamburg. With the departure of Günter Jena from his work as a Church Music Director (KMD), the choir left Hamburg's St. Michaelis, and got a new name ("Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor Hamburg"), continuing its demanding free concerts.
The choir has meaningful artistic collaborations with, for example, the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg and the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier (including several performances at Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) and Dona nobis pacem at the Staatsoper). Another co-operation of the last few years is with the Hamburger Symphoniker. The choir has appeared with important singers like Theo Adam, José Carreras, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Franz Grundheber, René Kollo, Christa Ludwig, Kurt Moll, Margaret Price and Peter Schreier. Conductors of their concerts have been Gerd Albrecht, Andrey Boreyko, Günter Jena, Philippe Jordan, Ingo Metzmacher, Michael Schönheit and Peter Schreier, among others. Over thirty years the choir presents the series "Music and Poetry", which have been characterised above all through the long and intensive collaboration with Heinz Rühmann.
The Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor has had also on several engagements in other cities. Especially honourable were the invitations to the Staatsoper Berlin (Unter den Linden) with a performance at the Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) by J.S. Bach in 1987 and Jerusalem in 1995-1996 on the occasion of the celebrations for the 3000th of the city foundation (with performances of the Weihnachts-Oratorium (BWV 248) by J.S. Bach and Verdi's Requiem). In recent years the choir appeared on several occasions at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Since the 2007-2008 season Hansjörg Albrecht, director of the Münchener Bach-Chor, is guest conductor of the Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor for organised concerts. The choir includes 95 singers. During the rehearsal of operas and other works such as Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the choir has an intensive collaboration with Jürgen Schulz, the former choir director of the Hamburg State Opera. The master oratorio works are handled by Almut Stümke.
The choir has always had management of its own, volunteer force. The responsibility for the choir is drawn in a registered society, perceived by its Board. Financial and moral support of the Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor are given by Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Gesellschaft Hamburg e.V.
Comment: Chor St. Michaelis Hamburg is a newly formed choir, founded in Hamburg in 1998. |
